“He is Master Chen?”
“He is so young. ”
“He looks like the same age as my high school son. ”
Most people who attended the banquet had never seen Chen Fan before. They had heard that he was young, yet, seeing him in person, they were shocked by his age.
However, seeing the VIP guests bowing to him respectfully, everyone kept their doubts to themselves.
Even if Master Chen was useless, the magnates’ support would have made him the most powerful man in Jiang Bei.
Chen Fan might look young and inexperienced on the outside; he had reached the precipice of power, and only a handful of people in the Jiang Bei region were his equal.
Jiang Churan and her friends were so shocked by the development that they were at a loss for words.
So surprised was Zhang Yumeng that she didn’t even realize her chopsticks had dropped to the floor. Her lips quivered as if she wanted to say something.
“Chen Fan?”
“Master Chen!”
A moment ago, those two people belonged to two different worlds, but now, they turned out to be the same person.
One was from an average family, was of average looks and talent. The only thing that might have made Chen Fan stand out was his above average martial arts skill.
The other person dominated the Jiang Bei region and was as powerful as the richest tycoon of Jiang Bei.
The merging of the two identities seemed not only surreal but also frightening.
Thus it was, Zhang Yumeng was taken over by fear and her body quivered. Her mind raced as memories of her sneering at Chen Fan played in her mind like a movie.
Beside her stood Yang Chao and he was in no better shape as life had already drained away from his face. Xu Rongfei covered her mouth as surprise and joy were written all over her face.
At the table where Wei Zipin was sitting, everyone was so dumbfounded by the turn of events; they didn’t even have any mental capacity left to comprehend the fear.
Of all the teenagers, no one spoke a word. The table had fallen pin drop quiet. Wei Zipin’s eyes lost focus as he murmured under his breath.
“How could it be? It’s impossible! They must have mistaken… They must have.”
The other teenagers who sneered at Chen Fan smiled wryly, “Young Lord Wei, that is him. Your father is there too; they wouldn’t have made such a mistake.”
However, Wei Zipin repeated his words as if he didn’t hear his friends.
Li Yichen sat in his chair and felt many strong emotions roil inside of him. He clenched his fist to suppress those feelings but to no avail.
“So this is your trump card, isn’t it?”
“Master Chen. Bravo, bravo!”
“You have hidden the identity from all of us for over half a year, and no one was able to see through your cover.”
He closed his eyes and curled his lips into a sad smile. “You won Chen Fan. I had thought that you are a nobody and with my family connections and talent, I should be able to defeat you many times over. But I couldn’t be more wrong.”
Right beside him, Chu Minhui froze in his chair as he fixed his gaze at the boy on the stage. He shouted in his mind: “I don’t believe this! It’s not over yet.”
“You are Master Chen, but so what?”
“One day, I will surpass you. One day!”
Wan Jun was the only person who could remain calm. After all, he didn’t have any bad blood with Chen Fan. However, he couldn’t help but gasp: “He had claimed Jiang Bei’s seat of power at such a young age. I think even Sheng Junwen will fall short in comparison with him.”
The first person he thought about was his talented cousin.
Wan Jun had thought that he would never find anyone who could surpass his cousin’s talent and ability. Then and there, the person was standing right in front of him.
“Junwen, it will take you at least twenty to thirty years to catch up with Master Chen. He is already as powerful as your dad.”
With that thought in mind, an ugly grin appeared on his face.
Suddenly people at the first row of tables stood up.
It turned out that Master Chen had already finished his speech and started to greet and give a toast at each and every table.
“Long time no see, Master Chen.”
“Master Chen, I am so glad to see you again.”
“Master Chen, my restaurant is opening soon, don’t forget to pay a visit.”
Everyone heaped praise onto Chen Fan as the latter greeted each and every one of them. No one held back in drinking as even the most powerful man at each table emptied the cup in one go.
Li Yichen was shocked to see that despite everyone’s enthusiasm, Chen Fan’s lips barely even touched the rim of his glass. However, those tycoons and magnates didn’t seem to mind such an aloof action.
Finally, Chen Fan reached Wei Zipin’s table.
“Master Chen, this is my son; his name is Wei Zipin.”
The Third Lord Wei waddled behind Chen Fan and introduced his son with a half-drunken voice.
“I know him.” Chen Fan said readily.
Chen Fan examined the overwrought face of Wei Zipin, and then he said calmly: “Do you still remember what I told you?”
Chen Fan’s words drained the life out of Wei Zipin’s face. His hands trembled, and he let fear rob him of words.
The Third Lord Wei noticed something was amiss, and right away he knew that his delinquent son must have offended Master Chen earlier. He shot Wei Zipin an accusatory glance which frightened his son so much that the boy nearly spilled his wine.
Chen Fan didn’t say much more after his question. He looked bored and started to look around him.
The teenagers who had been on their high horses scarcely dared breathe much less say a word. They waited until Chen Fan raised the cup before they poured the contents in their cup down their throats as fast as they could. They started and finished in unison as if no one wanted to stand out and attract Chen Fan’s attention.
Li Yichen moaned in his mind as he noticed that Chen Fan didn’t even pay any attention to him. He simply glanced over him.
“Am I just a worthless clown to you?”
Li Yichen was suddenly taken over by a fit of anger, but the anger quickly turned into despair.
He knew that he had little to no chance of catching up with Chen Fan. Even if he did, he could have been in his forties if not fifties. How powerful would Chen Fan be when he was at that age?
That was a question that Li Yichen didn’t even dare to fathom.
Chen Fan also ignored Chu Minhui which didn’t sit well with the half-drunken brute. He managed to suppress the anger sprouting out from his gut, and drunk the cup of strong wine down to his belly.
“You might have your victory today, but this is far from over!”
“Every dog will have his day, and mine will come sooner or later.”
Chen Fan didn’t care a wee bit about their feelings. The likes of them he had seen over his hundred years of cultivation were in the trillions. However, only he, Chen Beixuan, the North Mystic Celestial Lord would out last mortality and time itself.
After a round of toasts, Chen Fan had made a personal connection with all the elites of the Jiang Bei region.
Finally, Chen Fan arrived at Jiang Churan’s table.
“Dad… Brother Chen Fan. ” Xu Rongfei stood up and stared happily at Chen Fan and her father next to the boy.
“Fei-Fei.” Xu Ao replied with a warm smile.
Chen Fan also cracked a loving smile and said, “Fei-Fei, me and your dad will have a meeting later. Can you hang out here by yourself for a while?”
“Yea.” Xu Rongfei nodded.
The intimate exchange between Chen Fan and Xu Rongfei caught many people’s attention.
“It seems that Xu Ao is going to make a move. Damn, I wish I had such a lovely daughter as well. ”
The development filled The Third Lord Wei with regret and remorse. Unlike Xu Ao’s daughter who was already in Master Chen’s good books, his son had offended the only person he needed to be friendly with. It occurred to him that he was bound to lose the competition with Xu Ao.
So thinking, Third Lord Wei gritted his teeth frustratedly.
Chen Fan broke eye contact with Xu Rongfei and immediately noticed Zhang Yumeng and Yang Chao. Both of them hunched over and looked much shorter than they really were.
Yang Chao prayed to the gods that Chen Fan would not notice him.
From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of his father, owner of this five-star hotel, standing next to Chen Fan as if he was at his beck and call.
Chen Fan’s eyes didn’t pause for more than a second on the couple; he looked over them and saw Jiang Churan.
Her face looked troubled, but she managed to hold Chen Fan’s gaze. There were many strong but contradicting emotions in those wide eyes: shock, doubt, anger, and remorse.
Chen Fan cracked a smile and said: “I told you I am Master Chen, but you never believed me.”
“Do you believe me now?”
Without waiting for Jiang Churan’s answer, he finally drank up the wine in his cup that he had kept so far. It was not wine he was drinking; it was a lifetime worth of feelings and memories.
After he had finished, Chen Fan put down the cup and walked away.
Jiang Churan stood still next to the table; her eyes were filled with regret and loneliness.