Rebirth and Conquest

When Chen Yan returned home, his mother was not yet back. The housekeeper, Aunt Lin, who was cleaning the living room, was stunned when she saw Chen Yan enter. "Yan... Young Master Yan?" Aunt Lin called out in disbelief. Indeed, Chen Yan looked completely different from when he left.

"Okay, Aunt Lin, I'll go back to my room now," Chen Yan replied politely, and then walked towards her room.

Aunt Lin craned her neck and watched Chen Yan go upstairs. Even after he entered the bedroom, Aunt Lin was still a little dazed. If Chen Yan's 'personality' hadn't changed, she would have doubted whether this was really the child she had just brought back from the countryside.

Not long after, Chen Lirong returned from the company. As soon as she got back, she sat down on the sofa in the living room. She looked tired. Aunt Lin poured her a glass of water and brought it to her, asking if she wanted to eat. Chen Lirong just nodded, not even wanting to say a word.

Aunt Lin set out the meal and then went upstairs to call Chen Yan down. By this time, Chen Yan had already changed into his pajamas. As he came down the stairs, he said to Chen Lirong, "Mom, you're back."

Chen Lirong turned her head and her eyes lit up when she saw Chen Yan. "Hmm, are you hungry? Come down and eat." Chen Lirong replied with a smile, her voice much gentler. It was clear that Chen Lirong was very satisfied with Chen Yan after she had tidied herself up. Indeed, a pretty and clean-looking child was much more likable than a plain and sloppy one.

The two sat at the dinner table eating, and Chen Lirong brought up Chen Yan's schooling. She had already arranged a school for Chen Yan in the city, where he would go to university. She spoke of this in a tone of complete instruction. Chen Yan just kept his head down and ate, listening quietly. His mother was still the same as always, a woman with an insatiable desire for control. It was the same in his previous life. Everything about him was arranged by his mother, and he had no room for objection. Of course, in his previous life, he was happy to accept this. Apart from being interested in eating, drinking, and having fun, he wished his mother could solve everything else for him.

Chen Yan didn't speak until Chen Lirong finished speaking. He put down his chopsticks and looked somewhat embarrassed: "But I've already applied to the school, and the admission notice has already been issued."

"You don't need to worry about that," Chen Lirong said nonchalantly. "Mom will arrange everything for you."

"But I finally got into that school after a lot of hard work."

Chen Lirong looked a little impatient: "Alright, listen to me. Mom won't hurt you. What can you learn at that school? Just go to school here. It will be easier for Mom to take care of you then."

Chen Yan fell silent, as if she dared not object, and picked up her chopsticks again to eat with her head down.

"Oh, by the way, you're going to a banquet with Mom the day after tomorrow," Chen Lirong added. "Remember to dress nicely then, don't wear your school uniform anymore. Did Assistant Tang buy you any clothes?"

"I bought it. I just took it off."

"Okay, Assistant Tang will come to pick you up then."

As one of the three giants in B City, the birthday of the chairman of the Yan Group is naturally a big deal. During the day, the entire Yan Group mansion is filled with people who come to give gifts and offer their congratulations. In the evening, a banquet will be held here.

Under the cover of night, Chen Yan arrived at the Yan family mansion in Tang's assistant's car. After passing through the gatekeeper's check at the entrance, the car drove into the luxurious villa.

By this time, celebrities from all walks of life had already gathered here, and the entire villa was brightly lit. People who were not usually seen or could only be seen on television had all come to this villa.

Chen Yan followed Assistant Tang through the crowd, across the front yard, and all the way to the party hall. In the hall, elegantly dressed men and women gathered in twos and threes, toasting and drinking to the beautiful piano music, or chatting and laughing.

Chen Yan silently moved through the hall. Her assistant, Tang, looked around as she walked until she saw Chen Lirong talking to someone. She walked straight over to her. Chen Lirong was wearing an elegant evening dress, holding a wine glass in her hand, with a faint smile on her face, chatting happily with the two men in front of her.

"President Chen," Assistant Tang said in a low voice as she approached Chen Lirong, "Young Master Yan has arrived."

Chen Lirong stopped talking and looked at Chen Yan, who was standing behind Assistant Tang. Before Chen Yan arrived, Assistant Tang had given him a good makeover. He was wearing a decent casual outfit, and his hair was neatly trimmed. After revealing his face, he looked excessively handsome. A look of satisfaction flashed in Chen Lirong's eyes. She pulled Chen Yan's arm and introduced him to the two people in front of her: "Come on, President Zhang and President Wang, let me introduce you. This is my son, Chen Yan. Xiao Yan, please greet President Zhang and President Wang."

"Hello, Mr. Zhang, hello, Mr. Wang." Chen Yan greeted the two men, appearing docile and obedient.

"This is President Chen's child. He's really good-looking." President Zhang and President Wang both nodded with smiles and began to praise Chen Yan. "This child is so sensible and polite. With a strong person like President Chen to teach him, his future is definitely limitless."

"Mr. Chen, you flatter me too much—" Chen Lirong replied with a smile.

After exchanging pleasantries, Chen Lirong said apologetically, "Then you two continue chatting, I'll excuse myself for a moment," and then led Chen Yan out of the hall to a quiet spot in the backyard.

"Xiao Yan, Mom is taking you to meet someone later. You must behave well then, okay? After you meet him—" Chen Lirong placed her hands on Chen Yan's shoulders and instructed her very seriously.

Chen Yan was somewhat surprised. Was she going to take him directly to see that person? Had his mother already persuaded him? Impossible, right? In his previous life, that person had refused to see him no matter what. Although he thought this to himself, Chen Yan still maintained his obedient expression, listening to his mother's "earnest teachings" and nodding and humming from time to time.

When Chen Lirong felt it was about time, she looked at Chen Yan again, straightened his clothes, said, "Wait here for a while, Mom will send someone to call you later," and then left.

Chen Yan looked up at Chen Lirong's departing figure and couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth. He hadn't expected his mother to value this meeting so much. He just wondered what his mother's reaction would be after seeing his "performance".

Chen Yan glanced around and left. He walked to a vine-covered flower corridor, found a shady spot, and began to quietly observe the villa: the cleverly designed fountain, the neatly trimmed flowerbeds, the various exquisite carvings... everywhere it displayed its wealth and luxury.

Chen Yan watched quietly, seemingly becoming one with the shadows. Suddenly, she heard a sound.

"Second Young Master, are we going or not? The two new girls who just arrived, I heard from Old He that they're both very attractive..."

"Alright, it's the old man's birthday today, we can't go anywhere."

Chen Yan looked in the direction of the sound and saw a group of people walking over. They were all young people in their twenties. The person walking in front of them was obviously impatient, but the person next to him was still trying to persuade them.

Even after several years, Chen Yan could still recognize him at a glance. The one walking in front was none other than Yan Haobo. Chen Yan turned around to leave, as he didn't want to run into that person.

But as soon as he turned around, he bumped into someone—a beautiful young woman holding a glass of wine. When they collided, the wine spilled all over the woman.

"Hey, who is it? Can't you see?" the woman immediately yelled. "What are you doing standing here! Are you crazy?!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," Chen Yan apologized immediately, hoping to get away from there as soon as possible.

But the woman wouldn't let it go: "Is 'sorry' enough? You've ruined a perfectly good dress like this, how are you going to compensate me..."

Chen Yan really didn't want to stay any longer and was about to leave, ignoring the woman, but she grabbed his arm again: "You think you can just leave like that? Do you know who I am? Tell me, what's your name?"

"Oh, isn't this Miss Feifei? What's wrong? Who upset you?" Just as the two were arguing, a voice interrupted.

Just then, Yan Haobo and his group walked over, and the one who interrupted was the same person who had been trying to persuade Yan Haobo earlier.

"Young Master Qi." Fei Fei's expression immediately changed, and she called out in a sweet voice, "I was just about to go find you when this blind man bumped into me. Look, my perfectly good clothes are all ruined."

The man called Young Master Qi walked up to the two of them, first glancing at Fei Fei's clothes, then teasingly saying, "It really is true, so much water spilled on you." He then looked at Chen Yan, who had her head down, and said with a smile, "You're the one who did this to Miss Fei Fei. How could you be so careless? Sigh, wait a minute."

As if suddenly noticing something, Qi Shao reached out and lifted Chen Yan's chin, then clicked his tongue twice: "I didn't realize, this little face is quite pretty. Come on, tell your brother what your name is, why are you standing here, are you bored? How about your brother takes you to play?" Qi Shao said in a coaxing tone, completely forgetting the question from before.

"Qi Menqing, stop messing around here," Yan Haobo interjected with a warning. "We're all guests here today, so behave yourself." Actually, Qi Menqing's real name was Qi Wenqing. He was a typical playboy, and with his bisexual nature, he had seduced countless handsome men and beautiful women, hence his nickname Qi Menqing.

"Second Young Master, you've gone too far! I just said I wanted to go out and play, but you wouldn't let me. Now a beauty has fallen from the sky for me, and you're going to ruin it. Tell me, why is my life so miserable?"

"Alright, stop pretending to be all high and mighty." The other person laughed and scolded, then looked Chen Yan up and down and said, "But whose family is this? He looks a bit unfamiliar. Second Young Master, is he a relative of yours?"

"I don't know him. I guess he's some young master from a wealthy family," Yan Haobo said, shaking his head.

"Impossible. There's no young master in B City I don't know." Qi Wenqing denied it outright, then said with a grin, "Since they look unfamiliar to us, they're definitely not guests. They must have been brought here by someone, or maybe they're some newcomer star we haven't seen before. Hey, Lao Xi, doesn't your family own an entertainment company? Is this yours?"

"Didn't I say you look unfamiliar? No, you're not." The person who had just insulted Young Master Qi replied.

"Then it must be someone who brought them here to play." Qi Wenqing made his judgment, looked at Chen Yan, and then put his arm around Chen Yan's shoulder. "Be good, tell your brother Qi what your name is. From now on, you can follow your brother Qi, okay? With your brother Qi protecting you, no one will dare to bully you."

"Hey, hey, I'm telling you, tone it down a bit, don't scare them." Xi Yichen said with a smile, his tone full of teasing. The others around him also looked on as if they were watching a joke.

Chen Yan was already impatient with this playboy holding her, but he kept his head down and didn't say a word, looking as if he was really frightened.

Just then, a voice came over, "Young Master Yan, so you're here." Assistant Tang hurried over and, upon seeing Yan Haobo and the others, politely said, "Second Young Master is here too, Young Master Qi, Young Master Xi."

...