Rebirth and Conquest

"Good morning, everyone. Welcome to our morning news. Yesterday, at the awards ceremony hosted by Haoran Entertainment and Wenshi Jewelry, Mr. Chen Yan, Chairman of Haoran Group, made his first public appearance..."

"Viewers, this is the Finance Channel. Yesterday, Mr. Chen Yan, Chairman of Haoran Group, ------"

"The Chairman of Haoran Group unveils his mysterious veil for the first time; Mr. Chen Yan, only twenty years old, appears..."

The television kept broadcasting news about Chen Yan, and on the table next to me was a newspaper I had just received. The headline on the front page of the newspaper read: "Chen Yan, Chairman of Haoran Group, makes his first appearance at an awards ceremony."

When Chen Yan entered the door, the news about him on TV had just finished airing, and his mother, Chen Lirong, was sitting on the sofa opposite the TV. Today, Chen Lirong unusually did not go to the company, and it seemed that she was waiting for him to come home.

In fact, Chen Lirong already knew the news yesterday, but Chen Yan had not returned yet, so she had not seen Chen Yan.

Yesterday, the awards ceremony ended late at night. After leaving the ceremony, Chen Yan went to the entertainment company. A swarm of reporters surrounded her, wanting to interview her. Chen Yan finally managed to break through the crowd and get to the company. She handled some follow-up matters, and by the time she finished everything, it was almost dawn. Chen Yan barely slept all night and came to Chen Lirong's place early this morning.

As soon as Chen Yan entered the room, Chen Lirong turned her head away. She didn't say anything, but her eyes were fixed on Chen Yan.

Chen Yan had already anticipated this situation. He walked over with a normal expression and sat down on the sofa opposite Chen Lirong.

"Shouldn't you explain this to your mother?" Chen Lirong asked, clearly suppressing her emotions.

"Explain what? Why am I the chairman of Haoran Group? Or, how did I become the chairman of Haoran Group?" Chen Yan said calmly. In fact, Chen Yan was already very tired, but he was now ready to confront Chen Lirong and make everything clear. "What's the point of explaining? In short, Haoran Group is mine, that's a fact."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner? Why did you keep it from Mom?"

"Mom, I once asked you if you were willing to leave the Yan family, but you said it was absolutely impossible."

Chen Lirong's face turned ugly: "You don't believe me?"

"No, it's just that I can't leak any information about my company until I can guarantee it won't run into any problems." Chen Yan's expression remained unchanged as she calmly asked, "Mom, I want to ask you again today, shouldn't you leave Yan's?"

Shock flashed in Chen Lirong's eyes, and she was speechless for a moment.

“I heard that you recently failed to win a bid for a project, and Chairman Yan personally ordered you to be suspended from your duties for reflection.” He paused for a moment, then added, “Actually, you’ve spent the first half of your life in struggle, and it’s time for you to take a break.”

The relationship between Chen Yan and Chen Lirong was never as close as that of a typical mother and son. Chen Yan didn't have much thought for helping Chen Lirong adapt to the current situation, or for doing anything to consider Chen Lirong's feelings. What Chen Yan would do was figure out how to make Chen Lirong leave the Yan family cleanly and decisively. Chen Yan could use all sorts of methods to make Chen Lirong unable to choose, but she wouldn't use emotional appeals to make Chen Lirong side with her. The failure of Chen Lirong's project this time was also related to Chen Yan. Chen Yan instructed Tang Sijie to do some tampering, but of course, Chen Yan wouldn't tell Chen Lirong about this.

“Mom, you have to understand, the person you can rely on has never been the Yan family, nor the chairman of the Yan family who can’t give you anything, but me, your son.” Chen Yan looked directly at Chen Lirong, her eyes cold. “You’ve been in the Yan family for so many years, what have you gained besides ridicule, sarcasm, and contempt? To put it bluntly, that’s the source of our humiliation! Yes, the Yan family has given you some things, but how much did you have to give in return? In this bidding, the moment you made a mistake, they immediately and ruthlessly removed you. You always want me to join the Yan family, but you know how uncomfortable I feel every time I hear you talk about it, like a thorn in my side or a fishbone stuck in my throat.”

Chen Lirong was at a loss for words. She suddenly realized that she had never truly understood her son. She had no idea what he was thinking. In fact, Chen Yan was right. The Yan family had indeed been ruthless towards her, especially after Yan Haobo arrived. Her life in the Yan family had become even more difficult. Yan Sili would not stand on her side. Yan Sili would only care about how his son performed, because that was his future heir.

But after leaving the Yan family, Chen Lirong never really thought about it. She had struggled in the Yan family for almost twenty years, and all she could think about was how to establish herself in the Yan family, how to do better in the Yan family, and how to get more. Chen Lirong couldn't imagine what she could do after leaving the Yan family. In fact, she didn't have a deep affection for the Yan family. She just had a strong desire to get what belonged to her, or what she thought belonged to her. But when she calmed down and thought about it, there really wasn't anything there that belonged to her.

Chen Lirong's face darkened, and she asked weakly, "Xiao Yan, do you hate your mother?"

Chen Yan remained noncommittal, only saying, "No matter what, in this world, only blood ties cannot be severed. After you leave the Yan family, we can live together. What the Yan family can give you, I can give you; what the Yan family cannot give you, I can also give you. As your son, I will take care of you until you grow old and give you the peaceful second half of your life you deserve."

Chen Lirong remained silent and did not speak again. After a while, Chen Yan seemed to remember something and said, "Oh right, I have another gift for you. It's about the Yan family. You'll see it in a few days."

Upon hearing this, Chen Lirong suddenly raised her head and asked, "Are you planning to do something to the Yan family? Little Yan, listen to your mother. I know you're different now than before, but don't be impulsive. The Yan family is a powerful and deeply rooted family; you can't easily mess with them."

Seeing Chen Lirong's nervous expression, Chen Yan couldn't help but laugh. "Mom, I've been silent for so many years and done so much. You don't think I would do something just because I'm angry for a moment, do you?"

"Alright, since you don't need to go to the company now, just stay home and rest. I haven't slept all night, I'm going to get some sleep first."

Chen Yan stood up from the sofa and went upstairs to her bedroom.

Two days later, in the reception room of the Yan family mansion.

Chen Yan and Chen Lirong were sitting on the sofa in the living room. Yan Sili was sitting opposite them, and Yan Haobo and Yan Linlin were sitting on the sofa next to them.

Chen Yan was somewhat surprised that Yan Sili would meet him so formally.

"I heard that you founded Haoran Group?" Yan Sili asked Chen Yan, his tone still calm and serious.

Chen Yan nodded and said "Mm," then said nothing more. He sat casually on the sofa, yet he exuded an undeniable aura. Aura is a difficult thing to define; often, it doesn't require domineering actions or lines, or boastful pronouncements. True aura is supported by inner strength. Fearless shouting without inner strength only makes one look ridiculous, all bark and no bite. Chen Yan sat quietly, without displaying any pride or arrogance, but it was precisely this casualness that made him impossible to underestimate.

"I haven't seen you for several years, and you've certainly made a lot of progress." Yan Sili spoke again, still maintaining a haughty demeanor even when praising someone. "Now that you've graduated, if you want to come back and stay, just come back. I'll have the housekeeper prepare a place for you."

Chen Yan suddenly found it somewhat laughable. Yan Sili was indeed used to being in charge and thought that everyone should flatter and fawn over him and revolve around him. Yan Sili had never thought of acknowledging him as his illegitimate son. Now that his identity had been exposed, Yan Sili immediately showed an attitude of wanting to acknowledge him. Chen Yan wondered if Yan Sili thought that as long as he gave him, his illegitimate son, a nice look, he would be overjoyed and grateful.

Whether Yan Sili thought this way or not is unimportant. What is important is that Yan Sili did want to get closer to Chen Yan. Haoran Group and Yan Group had always been somewhat hostile. Now that he suddenly knew that the boss of his rival was his son, for Yan Sili, winning over his rival without bloodshed was the best possible strategy. After all, a strong ally is much better than an enemy. Besides, no matter what, Chen Yan was his son, the offspring he had left behind. If Chen Yan didn't stand with him, who else would he stand with? Moreover, Chen Lirong always showed an eagerness to have Chen Yan join the Yan family, which gave Yan Sili confidence. Perhaps Chen Yan was working so hard because he wanted to gain his father's approval and be accepted by him.

Everyone in the room was silent, except for Yan Sili, who was speaking. Then Yan Sili looked at Chen Lirong and said, "You can go back to work today. Two days of reflection is enough. Be more careful at work in the future and don't make any more mistakes."

Upon hearing her name being mentioned, Chen Lirong was about to say something, but Chen Yan stepped in front of her and said, "My mother has worked hard at Yan's for so many years and she's tired. Let her rest for a few more days."

Chen Lirong glanced at Chen Yan, but surprisingly didn't reply. Chen Lirong was a very opinionated woman, and no one had ever made decisions for her. However, after Chen Yan took it upon himself to speak for her, she felt no anger at all. Instead, she felt as if her son could finally stand in front of her and protect her from the wind and rain. This feeling was somewhat novel and heartwarming. She had never experienced this before. Perhaps when she was young, she had also had such fantasies about Yan Sili, but after years of trials and tribulations, she was no longer a simple little girl who dreamed.

After Chen Yan finished speaking, Yan Sili looked somewhat displeased, but didn't say anything more.

At this moment, Yan Linlin said with a half-smile, "Director Chen has really raised a good son. I never realized before that his acting skills are so good, much better than yours, Director Chen."

"It doesn't matter how well my son acts, but at least he won't be losing money to others," Chen Lirong replied indifferently, making Yan Linlin's face immediately turn ugly. The phrase "losing money" hit Yan Linlin's sore spot. Yan Linlin had a boyfriend she had been dating for several years, but that man was a real scoundrel. Yan Linlin had spent a lot of time and money on him, but a few days ago, that man found a younger and prettier woman and then dumped her without any mercy. Yan Linlin was furious with that man because of this.

Chen Lirong used to speak to Yan Linlin politely. Even if Yan Linlin was sarcastic, Chen Lirong would never break off relations with her. For the sake of her career, Chen Lirong had many concerns. But now, Chen Lirong suddenly didn't want to tolerate it anymore. She just wanted to refute her words in a good way.

"Chairman Yan, is there anything else you want to say? It's getting late, we should head back." Chen Yan said at the right moment, making Yan Sili feel embarrassed. Actually, Yan Sili had already asked the kitchen to prepare a meal for Chen Yan and the others, and originally wanted them to eat here. However, after Chen Yan said this, how could Yan Sili say anything to keep them?

Yan Haobo remained silent throughout. After Chen Yan left, Yan Linlin looked at him and asked, "Haobo, do you think that Chen Yan is still the same child he was back then? When I saw him a few years ago, he was so timid and hesitant. Now, I almost don't recognize him."

Yan Haobo's face was very cold. He did not answer Yan Linlin's question, but only said "I'm going back to the company first" before getting up and leaving.

After leaving the Yan family, Chen Yan and Chen Lirong asked Tang Sijie to drive them back. On the way back, they happened to pass by the Yan Group, and Chen Lirong said she wanted to go to the company to take a look, so she asked Tang Sijie to stop the car.

Chen Yan didn't say anything about it. After all, Chen Lirong had stayed there for so many years, and it was understandable that she wanted to see it. After Chen Lirong got off the car, Chen Yan left with Tang Sijie.

In the car, now only the two of them were inside, Tang Sijie drove while frequently glancing at Chen Yan in the rearview mirror, as if he had something to say. After hesitating for a long time, Tang Sijie finally spoke, "Young Master Chen, shouldn't I go and confess to President Chen that her recent mistakes at work were all due to my interference, not a problem with her ability? She—"

Chen Yan suddenly looked over, and her sharp gaze, even through the mirror, made Tang Sijie abruptly stop talking.

However, Chen Yan then laughed: "Assistant Tang, my mother hasn't left Yan's yet, why are you in such a hurry? Besides, why tell her all this? Do you want her to hate you, or are you moved that you told her the truth?"

"No, I just feel that Mr. Chen has been in a bad mood because of this matter."

"Alright, once I'm done with my business, you can explain to her however you like, but right now, don't ruin my plans."

"alright, I got it."

"By the way, when will Yan's new product come out?"

"It will be released soon after the New Year."

"Okay, you don't need to do anything else. Just wait quietly and remember not to give yourself away."

...