“Chen Fan is back, does that mean the Chen family is also going to make a comeback?”
The old man stood there in silence and watched as Chen Fan sauntered toward his grandpa’s house. He was an old colleague of Chen Huaian and people usually called him Old Bone Sun
Old Bone Sun and Chen Huaian retired the same year and they were chess buddies. He had heard Chen Huaian bragging about his grandson all the time, so he was more shocked about Chen Fan’s sudden appearance than most other people.
Almost a year ago, he heard the news of Chen Fan’s death in passing. Although he couldn’t even remember where he had heard the news, he recalled that Chen Fan was supposed to be killed by the Russians with missiles.
“Holy shit! Why would the kid mess with the Russians? They used to be the United States of America’s rival. What was he thinking?”
Old Bone Sun had lamented when he first heard the news.
Not a lot of people believed Chen Fan’s death when the rumor first reached China. However, Chen Fan’s continued absence and the Chen family’s silence gradually lent more credence to the rumor. Old Bone Sun met with Chen Huaian almost every day to play chess and he had confirmed Chen Fan’s death from Chen Huaian’s increasingly sullen and gloomy look.
Chen Fan was really dead!
Half a year later, when the rumor was finally accepted as truth, the Chen family’s trouble had finally started to surface.
During the year before Chen Fan’s disappearance, the Chen family had risen to power nearly overnight and stepped on too many people’s toes. Chen Fan had crushed the Sheng family; brought the Su Family, Ji Family, Hua Family, Qiao Family, and Ren Family to submission; and he had driven the Song Family out of the Jin City. Chen Fan had pushed around nearly all the great family clans in the city. No one dared to rise against the Chen family due to the fear of Chen Fan’s power, but as soon as they got a whiff of Chen Fan’s death, these great families started to become restless.
The Young Lord Song: Song Duanmin was the first to openly flout the Chen Family’s rule by showing up in Jin City.
It wasn’t long before the entire Song Family relocated back to Jin City. The Song Family was banished from the city by Chen Fan but now they were back, swaggering across the streets with pride. Even the Second Lord Han from the Han Family of Yan Jin was also released from detention.
All these developments proved only one thing: the Chen family had lost power.
Once the news got out, more and more people started to challenge the Chen family.
“I saw the Chen Family rise and prosper, now I will see it fall.”
Old Bone Sun used to lament in his mind after seeing the rise and fall of the mighty Chen family.
The Chen family was under fire from all sides, without Chen Fan’s protection, they were quickly on their last leg. Worse, the Chens Group was on the brink of bankruptcy. By now, the Chen family had become an easy target for nearly all the other family clans in the city. The Old Bone Sun watched as his friend wasted away in bouts of depression and breaking down, but he was not sure what he could do to help him.
“My family also lives in Jin City. I can’t hang out with you anymore for the safety of my children.” Old Bone Sun told Chen Huaian one day. He had also told his children to sever ties with the Chen family.
To his surprise, Master Chen of the Chen family was back after a year of missing in action!
“Shit! I need to tell my son.”
Old Bone Sun slapped his thigh, threw away his expensive chessboard and darted toward home.
Along the way, Old Bone Sun met a few other senior neighbors who were as shocked as he was.
As they ran toward home, they exclaimed in their minds.
“Tables are about to be turned in Jin City and Jiang Nan Province!”
Meanwhile, Chen Fan had already arrived at the entrance of the Chen family residence.
Even as he was going to knock on the door, he heard arguing coming from inside. Chen Fan furrowed his brows and listened on.
“Dad, I say that the root cause of all of our misery right now is Chen Fan and his family!”
“When Chen Fan was still live, he had offended the Song Family, Hua Family, Ren Family, and the Han Family. The Han Family was an easy-going lot so they haven’t retaliated yet, but that was not the case for the Song Family. Chen Fan had kicked them out of the Jin City, it’s not something they would easily forgive.”
“What should we do now? He is dead, but we are not. Senior Brother was promised a major position, but the Hua family had now vetoed the decision. Worse, he had just been demoted from his current position, his career is ruined! Qin Hua had cut off contact with us and the Chens Group is on the brink of bankruptcy. What can we do now other than wait for the inevitable? Once the Chens Group went belly up, we will lose the house and had to sleep in the streets.”
The Chen family residence’s living room was packed with members of the family. Chen Fan’s second uncle, Chen Qianxin vented hotly at Chen Fan’s grandpa.
People sitting beside Second Uncle, such as Senior Auntie, Second auntie and Fourth Uncle all nodded in agreement. Chen Huaian was sitting quietly at the head of the table with a solemn face.
Chen Ning flung back at Chen Qianxin.
“Second Uncle, why would you say that? Xiao Fan did all of that for us, for you!”
“Yes, of course, that is for me. Isn’t that why Wang Xiaoyun is the head of the Chens Group instead of me? Everyone thinks she is so much better than me, but look at what happened now! Wang Xiaoyun and her own company, the Jin Xiu Group are also knee-deep in trouble and were under fire from the Ji Family and the Tang Family. The Chen family is in bad shape, everyone. Is this what a so-called True Dragon can bring us? Is this the kind of life we want?”
Chen Qianxin snorted and then gave Chen Ning a sarcastic grin.
“That’s enough, shut your trap now.” Chen Huaian announced in a deep voice.
“Dad, I can’t keep quiet any longer. The Chen family arrived at the moment of life and death. Do you expect that little shit to somehow survive the Russian’s bombardment? I have looked it up, the bomb they used on him could even erase a building off the map, much less a person!”
Chen Qianxin kept going, releasing all the built-up anger and indignation over the years.
“Brother Chen Fan is not dead! He is my hero, he is not dead!” Chen Guoguo shouted at the top of her lungs with tears in her eyes.
“Hehe”
Chen Qianxin cracked a smile and didn’t respond to the child’s outburst.
Chen Guoguo’s parents pulled the girl closer to them and gave her a hug. The girl suddenly burst into tears in her parents’ arms.
“Sigh”
The child’s crying and the troubled look on everyone’s face made Chen Huaian sigh deeply. He looked to his oldest son Chen Zhenxin.
He used to be the backbone of the family, but the demotion had taken a toll on him. Since then, he no longer offered any constructive views during a family meeting such as this, instead, he just sat on a bench, letting his cigarette smoke cloud his mind. Han Family was too powerful of a foe for the Chen family. Chen Huaian knew that Qin Hua had done the Chen family a great service by keeping Chen Zhenxin in the government although the position was of a lower rank than the one he used to hold.
“Why don’t we ask the Wei Family for help? I have heard that Xiao Fan was tight with the Wei family. With the Wei family on our side, the Song Family might show us some mercy.”
Someone put in.
“Hehe, the Wei Family?”
A burst of sarcastic laughter spaced Chen Qianxin’s mouth.
“The Wei family knew Chen Fan but none of us! Plus, Old Man Wei retired many years ago and Wei Changsong is the one in charge of the family. Wei Changsong had been watching us fall from grace from the beginning, he could have intervened if he wanted to.”
Chen Qianxin’s words darkened the mood in the room even further.
The Chen family had been under pressure for a year and they were on the verge of giving in.
In the beginning, they had even hoped that Chen Fan would return soon. But as the days went by, they slowly lost hope. Most family members, except for Chen Fan’s parents, grandpa and Chen Guoguo had been convinced that Chen Fan was already dead.
“Grandpa, I think we have only one option left.”
Chen An said with an even voice.
Since Chen Fan’s disappearance, Chen An and gradually regained confidence and status in the family.
“What option?”
Second auntie jerked her head toward Chen An and asked.
“Submit to the Song Family.”
Chen An said.
“No way.” Chen Zhenxin shook his head and said: “Xiao An, do you think we want to keep fighting? We would have already surrendered to the Song Family if they would accept our submission. Song Family was picking on us not only for what we have done to them but also for the Han Family for Han Hongkun to be specific.”
“Dad, I don’t think so.” Chen An cracked a smile. “Han Hongkun and the Song Family are not interested in the Chen family. He is interested in Chen Fan’s family.”
Chen An’s words cast a cold spell in the room as everyone’s heart suddenly sank to the bottom of an ice cave.
Chen An had proposed an ungracious and outright despicable act.
What he meant was clear: the Chen family should sever ties with Chen Gexin’s family, abandon them to their own devices. Worse, they would even sacrifice Chen Gexin and Wang Xiaoyun as a scapegoat.
“I… have to disagree. The third Brother had not only lost a son and a daughter, but the Jin Xiu Group was also on the brink of collapse. We can’t throw them under the bus when they are the most vulnerable. We are leaving them to die.”
Chen Fan’s fourth uncle Chen Daoxin put in quietly under his breath.
The rest of the Chen family looked at each and was not sure what to think of the situation. They were bound to Chen Fan’s family by blood, and abandoning them right now would be a cruel thing to do.
Chen Huaian slammed the desk heavily and shouted hotly: “Shut up! What do you think your third uncle would feel if he heard what you just said? There wouldn’t be the Chen family without Chen Fan and his parents. How dare you suggest ditching them!”
Chen An plastered on a placatory smile and grew silent.
He had sowed a seed in the minds of the Chen family. The seed would grow as the situation deteriorated, and when the Chen family was finally on their last leg, it would be the time for harvesting. By then, not even Chen Huaian could stop him.
“But dad, we need to do something! Song Family gave us an ultimatum. If we don’t move out of the Jin City tonight, he is going to kill all of us.”
Chen Qianxin pressed on.
Chen Huaian sat quietly like a statue. Stress had exhausted the embattled old man, making him look older than he really was. The other members of the Chen family were also quiet, letting despair and distress slowly claim them.
Was the mighty Chen family really going to fall from grace after rose to power for less than a year?
“Dadada!”
Suddenly, they heard someone rapping on the door.