Chapter 18: Liu Yan: No, You Must Not Regret It, Hold On a Little Longer
Liu Yan was engulfed in unbearable pain—not a physical ache, but a torment of the spirit. Especially by the bedside, where John was waving a camera around with a look of enjoyment, making her suffering all the more unbearable.
She hadn’t wanted to answer the video call. After all, it was such a time as this. But John insisted, leaving her no choice but to pick up.
Biting her lip hard, Liu Yan struggled to keep silent. “Dad, Mom, I—I’m fine. I just finished exercising and feel a bit tired. If there’s anything you need to say, go ahead.”
Her mother breathed a sigh of relief, then recounted the incident with Zhang Fan, her face darkening with anger. “Yan Yan, your father let him get beaten like this; we absolutely cannot let Zhang Fan off!”
“That Zhang Fan—he’s acting like he’s taken some bad medicine. He used to be a decent man, but now he throws punches at the slightest disagreement.”
“This fool, this lunatic—we won’t stop until we’ve drained every last drop of his blood!”
Though Liu Yan was furious because of Zhang Fan, she felt powerless. She offered a few comforting words to her mother before hastily ending the call.
It was so painful. If only I hadn’t gone abroad, I might have been living a comfortable, peaceful life right now. If only...
No! I mustn’t think like that!
Things haven’t reached the worst yet—there’s still room to maneuver.
As soon as I get my green card and citizenship, I can turn things around!
Liu Yan gritted her teeth and endured the discomfort.
Her mother frowned, placing the phone on the bedside table. “Honey, don’t you think Yan Yan seems a bit off? Could she be in trouble?”
Her father, however, waved it off. “How could that be? Our daughter is very smart. Besides, America is a country that highly values human rights and safety. Yan Yan will be fine, so don’t worry.”
“Once she sorts things out and stabilizes over there, we can immigrate too.”
Her mother nodded firmly, her eyes flashing with disdain toward Zhang Fan. “True enough. Tomorrow, I’m going to sue him and demand hefty compensation.”
“I know some old friends in the hospital; they can help multiply the treatment costs several times over.”
“Zhang Fan, just a lowly delivery guy—this time, let him deliver for life! No matter how much money he earns, it’ll be frozen the moment it hits his account and forcibly transferred to us. Hmph!”
Meanwhile, Liu Yan put down the phone. After a while, she weakly covered herself with the blanket, her voice trembling. “John, I’ve done as you asked.”
“When will you register our marriage with me? Only after we’re married can I get my green card and citizenship faster.”
John put down the camera, sent the few black men away, and smiled as he sat on the edge of the bed.
“Yan, don’t be anxious,” he said. “I promised to help you with the paperwork, and I will.”
“You have a saying in your Chinese culture, right? ‘Haste makes waste.’ I’m not going anywhere.”
Liu Yan forced a bitter smile. Just hold on a little longer!
As long as I get the green card and citizenship, I’ll be a lawful American citizen.
Then, whether I maintain the marriage with John to try and seize his assets or start my own company and break free from his twisted grasp, nothing will hold me back.
The green card and citizenship are paramount!
“All right, my dear. I trust you.”
Liu Yan clung to John as if to a lifeline.
John looked at her with a strange, flickering smile.
***
The next morning, Zhang Qingyun finished his meal and happily bounced up behind Zhang Fan, who was washing dishes.
“Dad, Teacher Li just sent a message in the class group.”
“We’re going on a fall outing on Saturday.”
“We’ll only return Sunday night! Also, every student must be accompanied by at least one parent.”
Zhang Fan naturally couldn’t say no.
“Of course, no problem. Dad will go with you.”
Zhang Qingyun was ecstatic, grabbing Zhang Fan’s face and planting a firm kiss on his forehead.
“Yay! Dad is the best!”
“The little one will help Grandma bathe, then go to sleep. Hehe!”
The little girl was overjoyed, pushing Wang Chunhua’s wheelchair into the bathroom.
Afterward, back in her room, she soon fell asleep clutching her teddy bear.
Seeing her mother watching the news, Zhang Fan sat beside her wheelchair.
“Mom, maybe I should find another woman?”
“As usual, I’d earn the money and she’d take care of your daily needs.”
“You don’t like going out, and I worry about you being home alone.”
Wang Chunhua immediately turned off the TV and looked at Zhang Fan with a serious gaze.
“Xiaofan, you’re an adult, an independent person.”
“That’s what I’ve taught you since you were a child.”
“You must never rush into marriage just because you’re worried about me, understand?”
Zhang Fan knew well she was referring to the marriage with Liu Yan.
If he hurried into another marriage, things might turn out even worse.
He felt a weariness settle over him.
A thirty-five-year-old man, yet he lay in his mother’s arms as if he were the child Zhang Qingyun lying in his.
“Sigh, sons have their own matters to attend to, but I really can’t bear to see you alone.”
“Nowadays, even takeout isn’t reliable. I can’t have you eating delivery every day.”
“How about this, Mom? I’ll hire a caregiver to look after your meals and daily life.”
Wang Chunhua smiled warmly, gently stroking her son’s head but speaking with a hint of reproach.
“Bah! You’re not young anymore, but not old either.”
“That Liu Yan is so extravagant—how much money is left at home?”
“What caregiver? I can manage by myself. Don’t spend money on that, got it?”
Zhang Fan hesitated.
With his mother, he had no reservations.
He could openly tell her about his sudden wealth without worrying she’d harm him.
But he feared it might scare her.
So he said no more.
Still, hiring a caregiver was necessary.
With his mother’s lower limbs paralyzed, many things were impossible to handle alone.
Yes, hiring a woman to care for her would also be convenient.
***
Saturday morning arrived swiftly.
Zhang Fan received a call from Xiao Li at the company.
“Brother Fan! I found a really, really, really good project.”
“It’s guaranteed to make money—at least a few million a year.”
“It’s a solid project, not a sham. The initial investment is low, and it should bear fruit within a month.”
Zhang Fan wasn’t overly excited.
With three billion in savings, a few million in annual profits wasn’t enticing enough.
But it was a very good start.
The more projects he had, the bigger his network, the wider his connections.
Without connections, networks, or background, even a fortune would collapse.
Give a poor man a trillion, and he’d be dead in the street the next day.
“What project? Tell me.”
Xiao Li explained earnestly.
“There’s a foreigner who developed an app that estimates food calories through photos.”
“He’s making millions of dollars a year from it.”
“If we can replicate this app in China, given the population size, we’d make at least a third of his profits annually.”
“As far as I know, domestic app stores only have simple calorie-counting recipes, which are far less convenient.”
“Consumers have to follow recipes, but not everyone has time to cook.”
“But with this photo-calorie app, users can instantly know roughly what and how much they should eat.”
After listening, Zhang Fan didn’t hesitate.
“All right, you all stop working on other projects for now.”
“Immediately start recruiting at universities for the autumn intake, and post job ads on major websites.”
“Hire ten computer science students, starting salary fifteen thousand, with full benefits—social insurance and housing fund—eight hours a day. We’ll adjust other details later.”
“As for you, gather contact info of well-known fitness and diet bloggers online and send it to me.”
Xiao Li was ecstatic.
“Got it, Brother Fan!”
After hanging up, Zhang Fan posted on his social circle, sharing his company registration documents with the caption:
“My very first company and project officially launched.”
Zhao Tiezhu commented: [Wow, bro, awesome!]
Zhang Fan replied: [Message me for details.]
All his close friends left congratulatory messages.
What he didn’t expect was Liu Yan also commented.
Opening his social circle again to see her message, Zhang Fan couldn’t help but sneer.