Chapter 9

"Whether you believe it or not is up to you."

Chen Fan shrugged. He had originally intended to take the opportunity to tell Xu Rongfei about her tragic future, to enlighten her. But after being interrupted by Zhang Yumeng, he lost his interest.

"But how does he know I want to apply to the Beijing Film Academy? I just discussed it with my family and haven't told anyone else yet."

Xu Rongfei thought this to herself but didn't feel comfortable asking in front of her two best friends. She just felt that this person was very strange, with a peculiar charm.

At this moment, a group of well-dressed young men and women appeared outside the glass walls of Starbucks, waving and shouting loudly.

"It's Yang Chao, they're here." Zhang Yumeng also jumped up, waved to them, and then turned to her two best friends, saying, "Let's go, the real fun is about to start."

As Chen Fan left Starbucks, he saw Zhang Yumeng throw herself into the arms of a tall, handsome young man, and his eyes narrowed.

Yang Chao!

Zhang Yumeng's boyfriend, Chen Fan's biggest rival in Chuzhou in his previous life.

In his previous life, Chen Fan remembered that when he pursued Jiang Churan, he faced the most opposition from Yang Chao. Zhang Yumeng always compared him to Chen Fan, criticizing Chen Fan to the point of making him feel worthless. Yang Chao also enjoyed showing off his strengths in front of the girls, often making Chen Fan feel embarrassed.

"Yumeng, who is this?" Yang Chao, hugging Zhang Yumeng, looked at Chen Fan curiously.

Although these young people were not all handsome or beautiful, their attire was much more mature and fashionable than that of their peers. Combined with their youthful charm, they were very eye-catching. Chen Fan stood among them, feeling out of place.

"A friend of Ranran's mother, here to play." Zhang Yumeng said, then glanced at him and whispered something in his ear.

Yang Chao nodded, indicating he understood, and a look of disdain flashed in his eyes as he looked at Chen Fan.

He extended his hand and said, "Yang Chao, Yumeng's husband. My family runs a restaurant, the Tian Sheng Grand Hotel in Zhongxing District. You must have some background to dare to pursue our school's top beauty, Jiang. What does your family do?"

His words were clearly not well-intentioned.

He knew Chen Fan had no background but deliberately mentioned his own to belittle Chen Fan and make him lose face in front of everyone.

Chen Fan didn't even look at him, hands in his pockets, and calmly said, "Chen Fan."

In his previous life, Yang Chao always found ways to humiliate him. Now, why should he give him any face?

"Quite a character!" Yang Chao was taken aback, looking around and seeing everyone trying to suppress their laughter, clearly not expecting anyone to defy him.

He nodded, looking at Chen Fan, and said, "Alright, we're in the same school, we'll have fun together later."

After saying this, he ignored Chen Fan and gathered everyone to discuss the next plan.

Xu Rongfei glanced at Chen Fan worriedly. Yang Chao was not someone to be trifled with.

Someone had once offended Yang Chao and was beaten by his basketball team, forcing him to drop out of school. Yang Chao's family had significant influence, and they just paid some compensation, with no further consequences. Therefore, few people in the school dared to provoke him.

Chen Fan gave her a reassuring look, but she huffed and turned away, feeling that her good intentions were not appreciated.

Bad guy!

"It's still early, let's go sing first. After that, we'll go to my family's hotel for dinner. I've prepared a grand birthday party for Yumeng. After dinner, we'll hit the bars in the city center. No one is allowed to leave early tonight."

Yang Chao's words were met with a chorus of cheers from the group.

"A new KTV just opened in the new district, called Royal Entertainment. The decor is great, let's go there," a rich second-generation with a designer watch and a beautifully made-up woman on his arm suggested.

"Alright, let's go to Royal Entertainment KTV!" Yang Chao decided.

"Wow, at this rate, we'll be playing until dawn. No wonder Aunt Tang was worried."

Chen Fan stood outside, feeling impatient. He had to treat Wei Fu's injury tonight and didn't have much time.

The distance from the city center to the new district was not short.

This group of about fifteen to sixteen young people had brought six or seven cars.

Audi A4, BMW 330 convertible, Peugeot 308CC—though not top-of-the-line luxury cars, they were impressive in 2007 Chuzhou. The key was that they were only sixteen or seventeen years old, driving cars worth hundreds of thousands, indicating their impressive backgrounds.

The best car was Yang Chao's Porsche Cayenne, 4.8T version, worth over two million. Zhang Yumeng and the other two girls clearly sat in his car.

Yang Chao, as the leader of this circle, naturally took charge. After the allocation, everyone was seated except Chen Fan.

At this moment, Yang Chao seemed to notice Chen Fan and slapped his head.

"Oops, I forgot about you, my bad, my bad."

He acted as if he was embarrassed but clearly intended to make things difficult for Chen Fan.

"Look, our cars are full. Why don't you take a taxi? The Royal Entertainment KTV in the new district, the taxi drivers know it."

As soon as he said this, a burst of laughter erupted from the surrounding cars.

Everyone had long been annoyed by this guy, standing there with his hands in his pockets, acting cool. Being Jiang Churan's suitor, they were happy to see him humiliated.

Clearly, no one would defy Yang Chao at this moment, even though several cars still had empty seats.

Chen Fan frowned slightly, his eyes cold. This guy had been picking on him since they met. Did he really think Chen Fan wouldn't fight back?

Jiang Churan, sitting in the car, saw Chen Fan being mocked by the group and frowned.

No matter what, Chen Fan was here to accompany her, as her mother had asked. Being mocked like this made her feel embarrassed too. She was about to speak up and ask Yang Chao to give Chen Fan a seat when—

Xu Rongfei, leaning out the window, suddenly said, "Why don't you sit next to me? We can squeeze in."

Everyone was taken aback, even Jiang Churan gave her a strange look.

Yang Chao thought, 'What's up with Xu Rongfei today? Does she like this guy?'

Don't be ridiculous. Who in Changqing High School didn't know that Xu Rongfei was the most high-maintenance? Commander Chu's son, Chu Minghui, had pursued her for a long time without any clear response.

Zhang Yumeng, sitting in the front, rolled her eyes and said, "My lady, you're being too kind again. Fine, fine, Chen Fan, right? You sit in the front, I'll move to the back."

She got out of the car, moved to the back, and the Cayenne, being an SUV, had ample space for the three girls in the back.

Chen Fan glanced at Xu Rongfei, thinking that this girl was as kind as in his previous life. In his previous life, she often helped him when Yang Chao made things difficult for him.

He didn't say much and quietly got into the car.

"Alright, let's go." Yang Chao, annoyed that his plan to isolate Chen Fan had failed, glared at Chen Fan, stepped on the gas, and sped off first.

The rest of the cars followed in a flurry.

...

The new district was the most recently developed area in Chuzhou, very prosperous, with many new hotels, restaurants, and KTVs.

When Chen Fan and the others arrived, the Royal Entertainment KTV was already brightly lit.

In the hall, a row of uniformed, stocking-clad princesses, all of above-average beauty, many of whom were part-time students from nearby schools, bowed in greeting.

The rich second-generation who had suggested Royal Entertainment walked in front, and the hall manager hurried to greet him.

"My friend is having a birthday, can you arrange a room? Is the Emperor Hall available?"

"Very sorry, Jun, the boss is entertaining important guests today, and the Emperor Hall is booked. How about the Empress Hall?"

The rich second-generation, called Jun, looked at Yang Chao, who had no objections, and nodded.

Since it was Zhang Yumeng's birthday, her boyfriend was naturally the one paying.

They then ordered a few attractive princesses, some foreign wines, draft beers, and fruit platters. Under the manager's expectant gaze, Yang Chao generously ordered two bottles of Hennessy Louis XIII, each costing tens of thousands, making the manager beam with joy.

Sitting in the opulent private room, Chen Fan felt like a drop of oil in water, completely out of place with this group.

Although the room was filled with fashionable young men and women, they were all familiar with each other. He was the only stranger, subtly excluded from the circle.

Even if he tried to join their conversations, he found it difficult to connect, as they were from different circles.

Chen Fan had no interest in this.

He huddled in the corner, poured himself a glass of Hennessy XO, and sipped it leisurely, considering whether to suggest that Jiang Churan leave early.

He had agreed to treat Wei Fu's injury tonight, thinking it would just be a quick dinner. He hadn't expected it to involve singing, a party, and bars. He didn't have the time to waste.

Everyone took turns singing, but the microphone never reached Chen Fan.

As expected, the best singer was Xu Rongfei. Encouraged by the group, she chose a song by a diva, "Flowing Years," and sang it with a touch of Faye Wong's style, earning a round of applause.

"Truly a future star." Chen Fan remembered that in his previous life, Xu Rongfei had represented Changqing High School in the national high school music competition and won first place. She was always the highlight of the school's events.

Halfway through the fun, a woman in her thirties, wearing a low-cut black evening gown, revealing a deep cleavage, elegantly entered the room.