Su Susu lowered her head and explained what had happened between Chen Fan and Fang Qiong as a tense and strange mood hung in the air of the main hall. No one had expected such a typical teenage love drama: childhood crushes reunited and wedded after years of separation against their parents’ will.
Absurd! This is Absurd! He is only nineteen years old. What does she know about love? We will not let her taint the name of the Su Family of Wu Zhou City!”
Su Zhengde’s temper flared. He slammed the table and shouted at the top of his lungs.
As the oldest son of Su Yanghao as well as the current lord of the Su Family, he wielded a great measure of authority in the family, particularly amongst the younger generation. Fang Qiong’s rebellious and defiant action had riled him up.
All the other members of the Su Family were angry with Fang Qiong as well.
They all had a decent upbringing with strict rules in social etiquette. They knew exactly what was expected of them and they stuck to the standards. Fang Qiong’s actions were unheard of and didn’t sit well with any of the older generation of the Su Family.
Even Su Yanghao furrowed his brows in disappointment.
He had never thought that his most favorite granddaughter had done such a humiliating act. Worse, the scandal was exposed before the Ji Family, making it even more difficult to gloss over.
“Seventh Brother, your granddaughter is reckless and shameless. What makes you think that she could take over the family business?” An old man sitting next to Su Yanghao put in hotly as he looked at another old man with a hunched back.
The person at the receiving end of his scolding was another old man with an even more shriveled form.
The second old man seemed to have been shaken by the development however, he managed to gather himself and rose to his feet.
“Second Big Brother, Third Big Brother, Please forgive Xiao Qiong. The Fault is on me, I should have taught her better.”
“Seventh Brother, please sit down first, let’s talk this through.”
Su Yanghao said in a deep voice.
The old man was Su Susu’s father, the seventh brother of Su Yanghao and his name is Su Yangren. Due to his lack of talent, he was always pinned under his brother’s thumbs until Fang Qiong was born. Even as everyone thought that his branch was going to rise to prominence in the family clan, Fang Qiong made such an unforgivable mistake and crushed the old man’s dreams. However, as Fang Qiong’s Grandfather, he couldn’t stomach others blaming his beloved granddaughter, so he decided to carry Fang Qiong’s burden for her.
Seeing her father’s shaky form, tears welled in Su Susu’s eyes and she also rose from her seat
“Uncle, it is my fault too. I have not fulfilled the duty of Xiao Qiong’s mother. However, I want you to know that Chen Fan is not as bad as—”
Before Su Susu could finish, Su Zhengde cut her short.
“He is just an heir of the Chen family of Jin City. What is so special about him? Even Chen Huaian had to bow to father when they meet. Chen Zhenxin is a high-level official, but so what? His influence is a far cry from the Su Family and the Ji Family.”
Su Susu opened her mouth and tried to say something, but the words caught in her throat.
Su Yanghao rose to his feet and bowed slightly to Su Yanghao as he said: “Father, I suggest we call back Fang Qiong right away. She was a decent lady, and shouldn’t be fooling around with a man in public. She would ruin our family’s reputation.”
Su Yanghao’s face was stoic.
After a while, he gave Ji Shoujuo an apologetic smile and then heaved a sigh.
“Brother Ji, I am so sorry for this mishap. You have my sincere apologies.”
“Brother Su, there is no harm done.” Ji Shoujuo shook his head and said: “The youngsters have their own ways go about marriage now, and we as their elders should understand them. Your niece had said that they have resorted to getting the marriage certificate but little did they know that our country’s legal age for marriage was 20 and 22. Their marriage certificate is, therefore, nothing but a piece of paper. They would have to wait a few more years before they could legally get married.”
“Within these few years, many things could happen. It’s not uncommon to see young lovers separate after the initial infatuation wore off.”
Ji Shoujuo said with a smile as he shook his head.
“Brother Ji, what do you mean?”
Su Yanghao was confused.
“I think we should hold off our arrangement for an engagement for now. After all, we didn’t even consult the kids for their opinions. I say we let the youngsters meet first and take things slowly from there.”
Ji Shoujuo said with a faint smile. “That girl is new to all this, and therefore could be overly idealistic when it comes down to relationships. Time would make her smarter about her choice and see reality clearly.”
Ji Shoujuo didn’t even mention Chen Fan since he never expected Chen Fan to be much of a threat to his grandson.
Everyone finally realized that Ji Shoujuo didn’t take the matter too seriously, thinking the girl had acted out on a whim. Once the girl saw how talented and outstanding Ji Luochen was, she would quickly change her mind.
“Just so! Chen Fan simply couldn’t compare with Young Lord Ji. ”
Su Zhengde nodded in agreement.
Ji Luochen cracked a proud smile. In his mind, Fang Qiong’s childhood friend was simply a no account. On the other hand, he was already one of the business leaders in Zhong Hai and rose above all other elites of his age. Chen Fan’s family background and achievement simply couldn’t compare.
Ji Shoujuo’s words had convinced everyone, including Fang Qiong’s grandfather.
Between Chen Fan and Ji Luochen, he wished his granddaughter could choose the latter.
Su Susu and Fang Mingde were shocked after seeing the Ji Family had brushed off Chen Fan’s threat lightly. Marriage alliance was of uttermost important to the survival and continuation of a family clan, therefore, Fang Qiong’s personal preference was irrelevant.
Let it be Su Family or the Ji Family, they both had spared no expense to make this marriage happen. In the larger scheme of things, Fang Qiong and Ji Luochen were simply two pawns. It didn’t matter if they get along or not—it was not uncommon for elites to have affairs—as long as their marriage was still valid, so was the alliance between the two families.
“Ah right, Susu, you said that Chen Fan was from the Chen family? Do you mean that the Chen family of Jin City that everyone is talking about recently?” Su Yanghao asked.
“Indeed.” Su Susu answered with a deep bow.
“The Chen family of Jin City had suddenly risen to power. I have heard of their name even in Zhong Hai.” Ji Shoujuo nodded. However, he didn’t seem to be alerted by the name.
Even the Qiao Family and the Song Family would pale in comparison with the Ji Family, much less Chen family. The Chen family had to keep at it for another thirty years before they could bring themselves to the same level of fame and power as the Ji Family.
Everyone in the room also shook their heads in dismissal.
Even though the Chen family had toppled the Sheng family, no one had expected the Chen family to be on the same level as Ji Family of Zhong Hai. Chen Huaian has already retired, and Chen Huaian’s influence could only cover Jin City. Meanwhile, the second generation of the Ji Family was the governor of the entire province. In addition, the Old Man Ji’s former students spread all over the government.
Su Susu wanted to say tell them more about Chen Fan, but she eventually kept her silence.
She meant to disclose Chen Fan’s secret identity as Master Chen to the old man in private, fearing she would make the Ji Family lose face if she brought up Chen Fan’s real strength. In addition, Su Susu was afraid that these old and stuck up minds in the room would disapprove of the tainted and unsavory stage Chen Fan was on. She was in a room full of elites of prestigious families, and they might not take a Feng Shui Master seriously no matter how powerful the master was.
At the Ji Family and Su Family’s level, they would not be deterred by anyone from the underground world.
After a while, the meeting was finally over. As soon as Ji Luochen walked out of the room, the smile on his face evaporated. He said to his assistant in a cold voice: “Do a search on this Chen Fan. I need all of his information.”
“He is courting death to touch my woman.”
Ji Luochen narrowed his eyes, as a hard light glinted in his eyes.
Although he had never met Fang Qiong and had no feeling for her, his family’s honor was at stake. If he backed down and returned to Zhong Hai without a marriage deal, he would look weak among the elites of Zhong Hai. Ji Luochen could not afford to look weak.
“Noted, Young Lord Ji. ” His assistant paused a second and then continued: “Young Lord Nin and Brother Bao have arrived as well. Would you like to meet them?”
“Yuze and Baofen are here?” Ji Luochen was pleasantly surprised. “Very well, I need to talk to them anyway. With their help, my plan can be carried out more smoothly.”
Meanwhile, Chen Fan was dragged across the entire Wu Zhou by Fang Qiong while sightseeing.
Wu Zhou had over thousands of years of history and many historical sites still remain to this day. There was the Tiger Hill, Garden of the Humble Administrator’s Garden, Garden of Lions, and the Temple of Cold Hill. Chen Fan had visited Wu Zhou many times in his past life, but he had never spent a second on sightseeing. Therefore this was the first time he got to appreciate the beauty of the ancient city with his loved one.
When dusk fell, they decided to find a restaurant before heading home. Fang Qiong suddenly received a phone call.
After she was off the phone, Fang Qiong looked troubled.
“What’s going on?” Chen Fan asked with a smile.
“It was my Big Cousin Su Peng. He invited me to a gathering of all the young generations in my family. He also wanted me to bring you.” Fang Qiong batted her lashed at Chen Fan.
Although she heard of Chen Fan’s secret identity from her father, she had no idea what Chen Fan was really capable of. Therefore she was concerned for Chen Fan if her cousins had set up a trap to harm him.
“Sure, why not?” Chen Fan cracked a smile. “Don’t worry about me? Don’t you forget that I am Master Chen? These puny little shits couldn’t do anything to me.”
“Yea. yea…” Fang Qiong rolled her eyes at Chen Fan’s remark. Despite her words, she felt much more at ease.
If Chen Fan was able to dominate the entire Jiang Bei, these youngsters shouldn’t be a threat to him.
They turned the car around and drove toward Wu Zhou’s outskirts.
The gathering was at a private club just outside of Wu Zhou. This club was tucked away in an array of high walls that nestled along a small river.
However, despite the plain facet, the inside of the club was lavishly decorated, making one feel like they walked into a European Place. Two rows of girls in elaborate outfits flanked the entrance. They all wore their hair in a bun on the top of their heads.
The girls bowed to Chen Fan and Fang Qiong and welcomed them as the two made their way into the main hall.
A half dozen tables were set in the main hall with young men and women sitting around them. They were all well dressed and some of them were flanked by attractive girls.
Chen Fan scanned the room and thought to himself.
“I wager not only the young generation of the Su Family are here, but also that of the other families in Wu Zhou.”
A silence fell over the room as soon as Chen Fan and Fang Qiong entered. they attracted everyone’s attention but most gazes lingered on Chen Fan.
Everyone was curious about Chen Fan, the young man who claimed the prize of the Su Family of Wu Zhou City when the news of Su Family and Ji Family’s marriage alliance was still fresh.
Wu Zhou was well known for its wealth, and half of Jiang Nan Province’s wealth came from Wu Zhou. Of the ten richest men in Jiang Nan Province, six of them were from Wu Zhou, including the richest man in Jiang Nan Province, Zhang Donghai.
Su Family of Wu Zhou City was able to establish themselves among so many tycoons and magnates; they were truly a force to be reckoned with.
“Little Nine, You are finally here.”
A young man in his early thirties rose from his seat and came over to Fang Qiong.
“Brother Su Peng.” Fang Qiong nodded. Chen Fan also greeted the young man.
Su Peng didn’t even spare Chen Fan a glance. He held onto Fang Qiong’s hand and said: “Come with me, let me introduce you to some of the guests from Zhong Hai.”
Fang Qiong looked toward where her cousin was pointing and saw a few young men and women sitting near the head of the table.
A handsome young man said coldly.
“There is no need to introduce us, we have met, haven’t we? Miss Fang Qiong.”
Fang Qiong was taken aback as she realized that the group of young men and women were the same group she met on the highway.