“An alumni gathering?”
Chen Fan cracked a smile and kept his silence.
He was out of league and out of touch with those… kids. Si Yinxia, Yang Chao and Li Yichen might appear to be dashing young elites, but they were insignificant in Chen Fan’s eyes.
By then, Chen Fan had become as powerful as a nation, lauded by the public as the sixth superpower in the world, aka Superpower Chen.
Despite the obvious satire in the name, it was obvious that everyone saw Chen Fan as a significant player in the world.
What did it mean to be as powerful as a superpower in the world? Chen Fan’s power could translate to more GDP than nations such as Japan or Germany. Not one individual could have achieved such a feat before.
The richest man on earth was worth only sixty billion US dollars, a hundred times fewer than Chen Fan. Even the mighty corporations and bankers owned no more than a trillion US dollars of wealth.
Jiang Churan flashed an awkward smile after seeing no reaction from Chen Fan.
“It’s up to you. I understand if you decided not to go.”
Jiang Churan spoke a few more words into the phone before she hung up.
Jiang Churan changed the topic, “You disappeared for a few years. Fei Fei told me that she couldn’t get a hold of you.”
Xu Rongfei’s name finally caught Chen Fan’s attention, so he replied, “If I wasn’t cultivating in seclusion, I was on my way to it over the last couple of years. I only learned about the death of Fei Fei’s father until much later. Although I have avenged his death, I still owe Fei Fei an apology,” Chen Fan heaved a sigh and said.
“I believe Fei Fei would understand. She is head over heels about you,” Jiang Churan replied.
Suddenly, she thought of something and asked, “I have heard rumors about the appearance of sages in Myanmar, was that you? I have seen the videos, the person recorded looked like you. He also called himself Chen Beixuan.”
Chen Fan gave her a playful look and said, “I didn’t know that you were that interested in me.”
Meanwhile, Yang Chao, Li Yichen and many other graduates of the Ivy League had gathered in a private club along the shore of the Yan Gui Lake. Han Ming and Lin Lulu had also arrived at the alumni gathering as representatives of the freshmen.
Yang Chao egged her on, “Meng Meng, Call Churan now and tell her to come over.”
“Ok, ok.”
Zhang Yumeng turned on her cell phone.
“Senior, who is Churan?” Han Ming asked curiously.
“Her name is Jiang Churan. She used to be one of the two most popular girls in our school. The other was Xu Rongfei. The two were close friends. For some reason, Jiang Churan had gone to an ordinary college in Jin City despite her straight A grades. She could have gone to Yan Jin University if she wanted to,” Ji Xingyu shook his head and lamented.
A light flashed in Li Yichen’s eyes, but he didn’t say a word.
“Oh? Which university?” Han Ming asked.
“Jin City University’s Business School… It’s a third tier University. Jiang Churan had even gotten admission letters from Zhong Hai University, but she insisted on going to Jin City University. Her parents were livid after failing to persuade her to change her mind,” Yang Chao said and heaved a sigh.
“We are all responsible for our past decisions. There is no turning back,” Si Yinxia said lightly.
Si Yinxia was admitted into the best university in China and currently was preparing his advanced education at Harvard. He was going to be a graduate student under a prominent economics professor. Once he graduated from there, he would be a member of the Wall Street elites.
Therefore, his comments were shored up by his impressive list of achievements.
“What a shame. I really thought Jiang Churan and Brother Yichen were going to get together.”
Ji Xingyu shook his head and said, “Brother Yichen is way out of Jiang Churan’s league now.”
“Senior Li, Is it true that you have already been drafted into the federal government?” Han Ming asked, batting her lashes.
“Brother Yichen’s in-law was a leader in the federal government. His position in the government was reserved for him long before he graduated,” Yang Chao replied with jealousy.
He was going to be an athlete, so he couldn’t compare with Li Yichen.
Li Yichen was groomed to be a future leader, but as an athlete, he would retire at an early age and live the rest of his life in mediocrity.
“Xiao Chao, don’t think too little of yourself. You, Yinxia, Xinyu and Meng Meng are all very successful in your own rights. But I wish I could say the same about Churan.”
Li Yichen shook his head.
Li Yichen had secured a position in the government because of his current girlfriend’s father. Although his current girlfriend was not nearly as attractive as Jiang Churan, her family was much more powerful and could offer greater help to Li Yichen.
Lin Lulu watched as the seniors heaped praise on each other. Suddenly, she thought about the senior she had met that morning and wondered why she didn’t see him here. Could it be that he was not successful enough to join the circle?
“Pahda!”
The cell phone suddenly slid out of Zhang Yumeng’s hand.
Her face was awash with shock and fear.
“What’s going on? What did Jiang Churan say?” Yang Chao asked impatiently.
“She’s not coming,” Zhang Yumeng murmured in trepidation.
“So what? What are you afraid of?” Ji Xingyu asked.
“She must feel too embarrassed to see how successful we are in comparison,” Si Yinxia said directly.
The development stirred strong emotions inside of Han Ming and Lin Lulu.
“Xiao Lu, the moral of the story is to always make the right decision by following the right example,” Han Ming said to Lin Lulu.
“What?”
Lin Lulu was confused.
“Did she actually say why she’s not coming?” Li Yichen asked.
“Ran Ran said she met an old friend and had to accompany him,” Zhang Yumeng replied mechanically.
Yang Chao furrowed his brows and complained, “What kind of friend is more important than the Class Reunion? Is it Xu Rongfei?”
“No, it’s… Chen Fan.” Zhang Yumeng nearly lost her voice as she spoke the name.
Chen Fan’s name cast a spell over the room and made it pin-drop quiet. Yichen, Ji Xingyu, Si Yinxia and Yang Chao were all shaken to the core.
“Who?” Yang Chao asked incredulously.
“Chen Fan.” Zhang Yumeng repeated.
The answer was followed by a long silence.
Most people in the room knew more or less about Chen Fan.
He was the famed Master Chen of Jiang Bei, Major General of Cang Dragon, the family head of the Chen Family; each title more prominent than the other. He returned to Jiang Nan Province a year and a half before and killed countless men and women in Jin City. Even now, his name would evoke fear in the hearts of many people.
“I thought he had disappeared. Why did he show up now?”
Yang Chao’s smile curdled on his face.
“Are you sure? We haven’t seen Chen Fan for years.” Ji Xingyu asked.
“Maybe Jiang Churan was pulling your leg,” Mo Hill chimed in.
“Ah! Chen Fan? I think I saw him this morning at school,” Han Ming exclaimed.
A pin drop silence suddenly fell over the room.
Everyone’s hearts were caught in their throats; no one dared to make a comment.
Even Ji Xingyu kept his lips tightly sealed.
Did the Butcher of Jiang Bei return Chu Zhou City? Worse, he was right next to Jiang Churan right now?
“I think I get it! Chen Fan went to Jin City University, so that was why Ran Ran went there as well,” Zhang Yumeng said quietly.
Li Yichen’s face was impassive, but his fingers clenched so tight that he snapped a pair of chopsticks.
“Is he some kind of bid deal?” Lin Lulu asked.
“He is a legend,” Yang Chao shook his head and said with a grimace, “He is not an ordinary person like you and me. Compared to him, we are insects. We wouldn’t be able to match his ability in a thousand years.”
“What?”
Both Han Ming and Lin Lulu looked at one another in confusion.
“Who would have thought that Senior Chen was such a badass?” Lin Lulu thought to herself.
Meanwhile, Chen Fan and Jiang Churan were chatting at the peak of Yun Wu Mountain.
Jiang Churan tucked the loose hair behind her ears, trying to mask her embarrassment.
Jiang Churan fixed her eyes on Chen Fan and said, “Of course I’m interested in you. You are the most special one out of all the classmates. I am still surprised that it was really you in Myanmar. Governments around the world had caught on and started to delete those videos everywhere. However, that couldn’t stop the flow of information. A group of people have even formed a cult around you, called God Worshiping Cult. I am also a member.”
“I am not a God nor a Sage. Not yet.”
Chen Fan shrugged.
He walked over to a lounge couch, and produced some tea making equipment seemingly out of nowhere.
“How did you do that? Some kind of magic trick?” Jiang Churan flung back at Chen Fan.
“Yeah, sure,” Chen Fan replied, then he suddenly changed the topic, “It seems that you have been paying attention to me for a while, what else do you know about me?”
“I also know that you go by the name Chen Beixuan and that you are a member of the Chen Family of Jin City. You ranked number one on the Heaven roll and have a Major General rank at the Cang Dragon. And something about you and the Divine Roll,” Jiang Churan said.
Then she asked, “What is the Divine Roll anyways? I couldn’t find it anywhere.”
“It’s a list made by the Americans. The Grand Magus God from Myanmar ranked number fifteen. You must think that I am godly powerful because I am on the Divine Roll,” Chen Fan answered.
“Really?”
Jiang Churan rounded her eyes in surprise. “What is your rank on the Divine Roll? If you can defeat someone ranked fifteen, you must be on the top five.”
“Maybe.”
Chen Fan cracked a smile and looked into the distance.
Jiang Churan looked into the same direction and only saw a thick mist that shrouded the mountain. “What are you looking at? By the way, where is that Mist Dragon? I haven’t seen it ever since you left.”
“Jiang Churan, go home right now, as far away from the Yun Wu Mountain as possible,” Chen Fan rose to his feet and said in a heavy voice.
“What?”
Even as Jiang Churan tried to wrap her mind around the sudden end of their conversation, she heard a loud voice coming down from the mist.
“Pray to the Amitābha Buddha. Miss, you might as well wait a few minutes as I talk to Patron Chen. It won’t take long.”
Jiang Churan watched in shock as seven figures emerged from the cloud.
Those seven men and women all possessed powerful physiques and floated in the air like gods. The overbearing energy rippling about them were telltale signs that they had all reached the peak of the Immortal State.
“They are Dharma-rāja Sakya, Yao Daoyi, Watanabe, and…”
Chen Fan scanned the group and rested his surprised gaze on one of them.
“Li Changsheng?”