“Whatever.” Chen Fan shrugged. He had planned to warn Xu Rongfei of her tragic end, but Zhang Yumeng’s interruption had robbed him of any interest in doing so.
“How does he know that I am going to apply for Yanjing Film and Television College? I have just told my parents about it, but no one else.”Xu Rongfei thought
Nonetheless, she decided to keep her silence in front of her two sassy friends. But she conceded that something about this boy attracted her regardless of how hard she tried to ignore him.
Suddenly, a group of well-dressed boys and girls appeared outside of Starbucks, and they were waving and shouting through the glass doors at them.
“It’s Yang Chao; they are finally here!” Zhang Yumeng jumped out of her chair and waved back at the group. She then turned to the other two girlfriends and said, “Party starts NOW!”As soon as Chen Fan walked out of Starbucks, he watched as Zhang Yumeng threw herself into the arms of a tall and handsome boy. The sight of the boy’s face made Chen Fan cringed.
It was Yang Chao!
He was Zhang Yumeng’s boyfriend and Chen Fan’s greatest enemy when he was studying at the Chu Zhou City.
Chen Fan painfully remembered that when he fell for Jiang Churan in his last life, he got put down frequently by Zhang Yumeng as she compared him with the perfect Yang Chao. Yang Chao also made things very difficult for Chen Fan as he often showed off his wealth and good looks in front of the girls, making Chen Fan’s lacking both a sore thumb that stuck out.
“Meng-Meng, who is this guy?” Yang Chao held Zhang Yumeng in one arm and regarded Chen Fan curiously.
The young men and women around Yang Chao dressed in styles that were much more mature and fashionable than Chen Fan. Their pretty faces and hot bodies soaked up the attention from onlookers, making Chen Fan seemed out of place.
” A family friend of Ran-ran.” Zhang Yumeng said as she rolled her eyes. And then she whispered something into the boy’s ears.Yang Chao nodded as contempt flashed across his face. He reached out a hand and then said, “My name is Yang Chao, Meng-meng’s husband. My family ran a hotel: the Tiansheng Grand Hotel. You got balls to make a move on Jiang Churan, buddy. What does your dad do?” His words were laced with conceit.
He knew that Chen Fan was from an ordinary family, but he wanted to be a dick and point it out on purpose.
Chen Fan did not even spare him a glance. His put both hands into his pocket, refusing the handshake and then said slowly.:
“Chen Fan.”
Having had enough of Yang Chao’s crap in his past life, he decided never to let him step on his toe again.
“This ones got a temper!” Yang Chao paused a second as he threw his entourage a glance, willing them to laugh at his remark. They obliged.
He then gave Chen Fan a chilling glance and then he nodded and said. “Very well, we will be going to the same school, and we will get to know each over time.”
He left Chen Fan alone after uttered his threats, and he gathered people around to plan their next stop.
Xu Rongfei glanced at Chen Fan with a worried face. Yang Chao was not someone Chen Fan wanted to mess with.
Someone had once ticked off Yang Chao, and the next day the poor boy’s leg was broken by a bunch of hooligans from the basketball team. He eventually dropped out of school, and Yang Chao had walked away with no punishment after paying the boy’s family a handsome amount of money. After that, everyone learned to stay on Yang Chao’s good side.
Chen Fan gave Xu Rongfei a glance that read “Don’t worry.” To his surprise, the girl snorted and turned her back toward him.
“It’s still early, let’s go to KTV first. After warming up, we will go to my dad’s hotel for dinner. I have prepared an awesome birthday party for Meng-Meng. After that, we will go to the bar district! Nobody’s allowed to quit before I say it’s over!”
Hearing Yang Chao’s plan, the crowd burst into cheers.
“There is a new KTV that just opened up at the new district; it’s called Royal Entertainment. I have heard it’s nice there.” A wealthy looking girl dressed head to toe with famous brands suggested.
“Sounds good; let’s hit it!” Yang Chao announced.
“Balls, If they follow through their plan, they wouldn’t be back until the sun is out. No wonder Auntie Tang told me to look after her daughter.”
Chen Fan’s patience was wearing thin. He still needed to meet with Wei Fu tonight, and therefore he shouldn’t be wasting his time with these groups of kids.
Although the new district was within walking distance from the downtown, the group of youngsters had driven more than six cars.
There were Audi A4, BMW 330 convertible, Buick 308CC, although they were not the top of the line luxury models, it was a rare sight to behold in the year of 2007. It was evident that all of these youngsters were from wealthy families.
The most expensive vehicle was Yang Chao’s Porsche Cayenne, the 4.8T version, costing more than two million. Only the most expensive car for the most expensive girlfriend. Zhang Yumeng hopped into the front passenger seat, and the two other girls followed suit.
As the ringleader, Yang Chao assigned seats to everyone. In the end, Chen Fan was the only person who didn’t get assigned a ride.
As if he had just noticed Chen Fan, Yang Chao slammed his head and said:
“Oh, shit! I have forgotten about you. So sorry, dude.”
Yang Chao didn’t change at all. He had always been very apologetic about the inconvenience that he had a cause on purpose.
“Ah-shit! All cars are full. Can you take a taxi? ”
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone laughed out loud at the miserable Chen Fan.
Chen Fan had made himself an enemy of the group by refusing to shake Yang Chao’s hands. Therefore, no one pointed out that there were still empty seats on a couple of cars.
Chen Fan’s brow twitched a little as he held Yang Chao’s icy gaze. He had been provoking him ever since they met; maybe it was time to teach him a lesson.
The development made Jiang Churan uneasy, after all, it was her mom who had invited him to the party, so to some degrees, Chen Fan was her guest.
Even as Jiang Churan was about to offer Chen Fan a seat, she heard Xu Rongfei spoke out, “Well, you can sit next to me, I can squeeze.”
Everyone was shocked by Xu Rongfei’s words, and even Jiang Churan had shot her an accusatory glance.
“What the hell is wrong with that bitch today?” Yang Chao thought to himself.
Everyone at the Ivy League High knew that Xu Rongfei had the highest standards of all girls. Even Chu Minghui had failed to win her heart, much less a no account.
Zhang Yumeng rolled her eyes, and fussed, “Can you stop pretending to be nice? Because you are not. Well, fine, fine! Come over here, Chen Fan. I will let you have the shotgun.”
She hopped out of the passenger side and went to the back seat. The Cayenne was spacious inside, and there was plenty of room for three girls.
Chen Fan caught a glimpse of Xu Rongfei and thought that the girl was as kind as she were in his previous life. It was not the first time she helped him as she had done it so many times and would continue to do so.
Chen Fan got in the car quietly.
“Well, let’s go.” Yang Chao was slightly annoyed by his failed attempt to humiliate Chen Fan. He gave Chen Fan a cold glance and then slammed on the gas pedal. His car charged out of the parking lot with others in tow.
The new district was a new development in Chu Zhou City. It was filled with new restaurants, hotels, and entertainment venues such as KTV.
When Chen Fan and others arrived at their destination, the Royal Entertainment KTV, all the lights decorating its facade had already lit up.
Inside the hall stood a row of uniformed staff with above average looks. They greeted the customers with a deep bow.
The boyfriend of the girl who had been here before walked at the front, and the manager of the KTV spotted him right away. The manager hurried to him while wearing an unctuous smile.
“It’s my friend’s birthday, would you please make an arrangement for us? Is the Imperial Hall still available?”
“I-I am really sorry, Jun Shao. The Imperial Hall has been booked, should I open up the Queen’s Hall.”
Jun Shao looked back at Yang Chao, seeing the latter’s acquiescence, Jun Shao nodded.
It was Zhang Yumeng’s birthday; Yang Chao would pay the bill, so it was his call.
After they had settled in their private room, they ordered some French wine, German beer, and a fruit plate. Under the expectant eyes of the manager, Yang Chao opened two bottles of Louis XIII, each tallying twenty thousand. The manager was so happy that Chen Fan wondered if he could close his mouth ever again..
Sitting in the gilded cage and surrounded by over the top riches, Chen Fan felt like a drop of water in the oil. There was nothing he wanted to talk about to these spoiled brats.
The feeling seemed to be mutual. Most people had known each other, and therefore, it was easy for them to start conversing with each other. However, no one made an effort to include Chen Fan in their conversation.
“All the better.” Chen Fan thought.
He found a corner and poured himself a glass of Hennessy. He swirled the content of his glass as he mused how to leave with Jiang Churan as soon as possible.
He still has an appointment with Wei Fu. Never had he thought that a birthday dinner would involve so many activities, KTV, clubbing, and a banquet. Chen Fan had no time for any of them.
Everyone passed the mic around, but somehow it was never given to Chen Fan.
Not surprisingly, Xu Rongfei was the best singer of all of them. Chen Fan had remembered that Xu Rongzhen had participated in the National High School Music Competition on behalf of ‘Ivy League High School’ and had won the first prize.
