This time, Aunt Tang didn't call to invite Chen Fan for dinner. Instead, she told him that Jiang Churan was attending a friend's birthday party, and she felt uneasy letting her go alone—so she asked Chen Fan to accompany her.
"Shouldn't take too long," Chen Fan thought as he dialed the number Aunt Tang gave him.
"Hello? Churan? This is Chen Fan."
"It's me. What do you want?" came the cold, indifferent voice of Jiang Churan on the other end.
Chen Fan didn't mind her tone. "Aunt Tang said your friend is having a birthday party. She asked me to come with you."
A moment of silence. Then Jiang Churan replied, a little stiffly, "I'm at Starbucks in the city center. Come over."
"Who was that on the phone?" asked a petite, fashionably dressed girl nearby, her entire outfit screaming luxury.
She was Zhang Yumeng, Jiang Churan's wealthy best friend and the birthday girl today.
Seated beside her was another girl—tall, striking, and cool as ice. Both had grown up with Jiang Churan since childhood, and the three were known as an inseparable trio.
"Ugh, don't even ask. Just some kid my mom's friend keeps trying to set me up with. I have no idea what she sees in him." Jiang Churan sighed in annoyance.
"Oho? You've already met each other's parents?" Zhang Yumeng teased, her curiosity piqued. She leaned in with a grin. "So, what's he like? Handsome? Rich? Can he hold a candle to my Yang Chao?"
Yang Chao—her boyfriend—was tall, handsome, and captain of the school's basketball team. His family owned Tiansheng Grand Hotel, one of the top five hotels in the city, built to five-star standards. Wealth-wise, his family likely surpassed even the Zhangs.
Girls fawned over him constantly. Zhang Yumeng had fought tooth and nail to win him and treated the relationship like a badge of honor.
"You're such a gold-digger. All you care about is looks and money," scoffed the tall, aloof girl beside them.
"So what if I do?" Zhang Yumeng shot back, hands on hips. "In this day and age, no looks, no cash, no status? And you still think you can hit on me? Dream on."
"Enough, enough. We all know how high your standards are, Miss Yumeng," Jiang Churan rolled her eyes. "His name is Chen Fan. He's from Z County. No background, no family. He's just… decent-looking. My mom says he's honest and kind."
"'Honest'? What, are we supposed to cook him and eat him?" Zhang Yumeng laughed mockingly.
The cold girl beside her shook her head, her voice serious: "Churan, I know Yumeng's a bit much, but if this guy really has no looks, no family, and no future… even if you do fall for him, it'll only bring you heartache. You come from different worlds. The gap will always be there."
"I never said I liked him," Jiang Churan muttered, drained. "You're all reading too much into it. My mom's pushing, not me."
"Then when he gets here, leave it to me," Zhang Yumeng huffed. "I'll make sure he knows his place. Thinking he can chase our Churan? Please."
Jiang Churan simply rolled her eyes and gave up.
When Chen Fan arrived, he spotted them immediately.
It was 2007—the year Starbucks became the height of domestic urban chic. White-collar workers and kids from affluent families liked to hang out over a cup of coffee and a slice of cake, pretending to savor leisure and lifestyle.
But even in this stylish crowd, the corner where Jiang Churan sat was the undisputed center of attention.
She was breathtaking, standing out like a swan among sparrows. And her companions weren't far behind—one elegant and icy, the other sweet and petite. The trio exuded an effortless charisma that drew every gaze in the room.
"Churan," he greeted her with a smile as he approached.
Honestly, being roped into this kind of social gathering with girls gave him a headache. But he didn't want to upset Aunt Tang. Her intentions were kind, after all.
"You're here," Jiang Churan responded politely, but there was a deliberate distance in her tone.
The tall, cold beauty beside her didn't even glance at him, sipping coffee while staring listlessly out the window, radiating 'do not approach' vibes.
"So, you're Chen Fan?" Zhang Yumeng sized him up with undisguised disdain.
She wore an outfit worth over 100,000 yuan. Her handbag was a classic LV, the pink Chanel suit practically gleamed, and her Roman-style sandals were an exclusive Milanese brand not even sold in China—her father had bought them abroad.
Chen Fan, on the other hand, was dressed in clothes anyone could find on the street—ordinary brands, an entire outfit worth maybe a few hundred yuan. The contrast was… stark.
"You? You think you can date our school goddess?" Zhang Yumeng sneered. "Do you know how many people are chasing Churan? Student council elites, scholarship prodigies heading to Huaxing University—those are her suitors. And you? No money, no looks, no talent. Where do you get the confidence?"
"Yumeng!" Jiang Churan shot her a glare, clearly finding her words too harsh.
"Relax. I'm just here because Aunt Tang asked me to accompany her. I have no interest in chasing anyone." Chen Fan replied calmly, his eyes briefly sweeping over Jiang Churan.
"Yumeng didn't mean it like that. Don't take it personally," Jiang Churan said coolly.
Didn't mean it? Then what did she mean?
Chen Fan smiled faintly. He wasn't bothered.
He could tell from Jiang Churan's indifference—and her silence—that she hadn't really disapproved of Yumeng's words.
In this life, aside from Xiao Qiong, Chen Fan didn't care for any other girl. If Jiang Churan wasn't interested in him, why should he warm up to her coldness? He was a Heavenly Tribulation Realm cultivator—he had his own pride.
Zhang Yumeng, pleased with her display, tilted her chin arrogantly and returned to her fashion magazine, ignoring him entirely.
Chen Fan ordered a cappuccino and sat alone.
His attention, however, wasn't on Jiang Churan.
It was on the icy girl beside her.
Xu Rongfei.
Jiang Churan's best friend.
And someone with whom, technically speaking, Chen Fan had a bit of history in his previous life.
The cool beauty wore a black crop top that exposed her toned waist and emphasized her impressive figure. Paired with denim shorts and white running shoes, her long, dazzling legs practically shimmered in the afternoon light.
Though she didn't wear designer brands, her figure alone could turn even the plainest outfit into a supermodel ensemble.
She looked cold on the surface, but Chen Fan remembered she had a kind heart. In his previous life, she was the one who had told him who Jiang Churan truly liked—and advised him to move on.
Unlike Zhang Yumeng, who had always looked down on him and never once spared him a genuine glance.
"Xu Rongfei was an art student, wasn't she? I remember she got into the Beijing Film Academy the next year… became an actress… one of the Four Rising Starlets of her generation."
Chen Fan's gaze lingered.
Back when he was still the heir of Jinxiu Real Estate, they had crossed paths again at a lavish industry gala. She was a rising star. He, a billionaire heir. There had been a spark.
But before anything could happen, disaster struck.
The company collapsed. His mother passed away. Life hit hard and fast.
By the time he returned to C City—broken and alone—he heard from a friend that Xu Rongfei had been blacklisted after offending a powerful executive. Rumors swirled. Negative headlines mounted. Under the weight of depression, she took her own life—before she even turned thirty.
He'd sighed back then, wondering how quickly life could change.
"To think, we once stood at the top of our world. And in a blink—one ruined, the other dead."
"Life is truly full of twists." Chen Fan sipped his coffee, lost in thought.
Xu Rongfei seemed to notice his unusual gaze. She frowned slightly and turned toward him.
"Do I know you?"
Her voice, in contrast to her frosty appearance, was soft and sweet—like she was always pouting or coaxing someone. It only made her more appealing. Many boys had fallen for her, and it was easy to see why.
Chen Fan couldn't help but be reminded of a certain celebrity from his past life. Xu Rongfei had often been dubbed her look-alike—though her fate had been far more tragic.
"No, we've never met," Chen Fan smiled playfully. "But I come from a long line of fortune tellers. People call me 'The Oracle.'"
"Really?" she blinked, amused.
"For example, just by looking at you, I can tell you're an art student. And your name… has a 'Xu' in it."
"Oh? And what else can you see?" Xu Rongfei raised an eyebrow, now genuinely intrigued.
"Hmm…" Chen Fan pretended to ponder. "You'll get into the Beijing Film Academy, become an actress… and one day, a superstar."
"How do you know I want to go to Beijing Film Academy? And yes—I do want to be an actress!" Xu Rongfei gasped, her mouth open in surprise. Her expression was so adorable—like a ripe, blushing apple—you'd want to take a bite.
"Pfft!" Zhang Yumeng suddenly burst out laughing.
"Oh, come on, Miss Xu is one of Ivy High's shining stars. He probably just asked around before coming." She hugged Xu Rongfei from the side and kissed her cheek playfully.
Then, she turned back to Chen Fan with a look of disdain.
"Look, Z County boy. Chasing girls isn't about smooth talk. And wow, aren't you a player? Churan rejects you, and now you're trying to charm Rongfei? Do you think we're idiots?"
Jiang Churan frowned slightly, her disappointment quiet but clear.
So he was just another sweet-talking trickster…