Rebirth: He Decides to Lie Flat
Chapter 317 - 317 314 Mirror

Chapter 317: Chapter 314 Mirror Chapter 317: Chapter 314 Mirror Jiang Yan is a rich second generation?

Jiawen heard someone say this for the first time and found it incredibly odd.

However, her expression, when observed by Huangfu Yun, confirmed that he had guessed correctly.

He had said that boy had an extraordinary presence, and indeed his family was no simple matter.

Kou Chuan asked her from the side, “Jiawen, when school starts, I want to set up a computer. Mention it to your boyfriend and see if he can give me a discount.”

Jiawen thought for a moment and said earnestly, “When school starts, their store should be having a promotion. You can buy it then and get the discount.”

“What I mean is, for you to ask your boyfriend, on account of your relationship, to give me the cost price.”

Cost price?

Jiawen looked surprised and asked, “Why?”

Kou Chuan: …

Fine, fine, let’s pretend he didn’t say that.

The group walked and chatted, while Xia Shi silently followed. She gave Jiawen a fleeting glance and thought to herself, she acts all high and mighty usually, but doesn’t she also pick a rich guy when it comes to finding a boyfriend?

How vulgar!

Once out of the school, Kou Chuan and Huangfu Yun took a taxi with Xia Shi and left, while Jiawen turned to go to the computer specialty store.

Someone was coming over today to deliver desks and chairs. It was initially agreed to deliver a part first, and Qi Lihong alone could receive it. But last night, the furniture store called at the last minute, saying they would deliver everything, including some things that needed to be nailed to the wall, which Lihong couldn’t manage by herself.

So, at this moment, Jiang Yan was in the store.

What Huangfu Yun had said earlier wasn’t correct; the two floors Jing Junyang had bought covered a large area and were not all used for the computer specialty store.

The first floor was the specialty store, while on the second floor, a staircase was constructed on the external side, allowing access without having to go through the inside store. It was still a cyber cafe, but different from the previous one.

They would place some high-configuration, high-level computers on the second floor, mainly for gaming, and specifically for games they had developed.

When Jiawen arrived at the store, the ones delivering the desks and chairs were already there. The delivery truck was parked at the entrance, and the workers carried the furniture inside one by one, then, according to the diagrams, began to assemble them and hang some on the walls. They were busy until 12:30 in the afternoon before finishing up.

Because the air conditioning was on in the main hall, even though the main door was open, the inside was still much cooler than outside.

Jiang Yan called Jiawen over and said to Lihong, who was busy cleaning, “Leave the cleaning for later, let’s go eat.”

“You guys go ahead, I’ll go after I finish cleaning up.”

After saying that, Lihong lowered her head and continued to clear up the small wooden splinters and paper scraps on the floor.

Jiang Yan did not force her, but before leaving, he asked another question, “What about Liu Wenhui? Has he gone home?”

“No, he went to the city center with his mom.”

His mom? Liu Wenhui’s mom has come?

Jiang Yan did not continue the conversation, and went back to Qinghe Garden with Jiawen to quickly fix a cold noodle dish. Just as they were about to head upstairs for a rest, Jing Junyang’s call came in.

Ah, there’s really no time to rest.

Once he arrived at the company, Jiang Yan had intended to take the elevator to the fifth floor but happened to come across some workers moving things inside. There were piles of magazines and books apparently being delivered to a magazine company on the eighth floor.

Jiang Yan didn’t want to wait any longer, so he decided to take the stairs.

On reaching the fourth floor, he faintly heard a familiar voice from above. When he reached the fifth floor, Jing Junyang’s voice was clearly audible—

“… Because the company is newly established, the salaries we offer are not very high. But since you are the chief designer, your salary is the highest among us. I won’t mention the rest, but just last month, you received ten thousand. I remember you kept only five hundred and sent the rest home. Now your dad is saying he’s spent it all and is asking you to get an advance on your salary? Du Fan, I’m not saying you can’t get an advance on your salary, but I was hoping you would use it for buying a house.”

“Old Jing, I appreciate your kindness, but I really can’t consider a house right now. My dad wants my brother to attend a tutoring class in the city during the summer, but we’re completely out of money at home.”

“Not a single penny left? Your family’s expenses are quite high, eh? A monthly living expense of nine thousand five hundred? And that’s in the countryside?”

“…”

“Du Fan, I’m not trying to discriminate against rural people, but don’t you ever ask your dad how he managed to spend such an amount of money? Let’s not even talk about the countryside, even a regular urban family wouldn’t have that much for two months’ living expenses.”

“I asked him, and he said he lent five thousand to my aunt and another thousand to my grandpa. The rest went to social obligations, eating, drinking, pooping, and peeing, and it was all spent.”

“Lent to your aunt?” Jing Junyang seemed to be laughing in frustration, “While you’re pinching pennies here, your dad is lending money to others?”

“…”

“Also, isn’t your dad only in his forties this year? Does he do nothing at home? Just putting the burden of supporting the family entirely on you? Do you think that’s appropriate? Is your brother your son? Why should you be the one to support him?”

“…”

“Du Fan…”

“Old Jing, I know you say these things for my sake, but what my dad says is not without reason. He doesn’t have much education, and working outside is just hard labor. He can’t earn much and it’s easy to ruin his health doing it. And I, as the eldest son in the family, who is educated and capable…”

Jiang Yan stood with his head bowed on the stairs, as if he were looking into a mirror of a previous life. No, it wasn’t just him—it was also a mirror for old Jiang.

Didn’t the old folks at the Jiang Family use such words to manipulate old Jiang? They manipulated him into divorce, into neglecting even his own son, and in the end, he still got caught in the sewing machine.

As he stepped up the stairs, the sound of his footsteps caused the conversation between Jing Junyang and Du Fan to abruptly stop. Both turned their heads at the same time, and upon seeing that it was Jiang Yan, they both breathed a sigh of relief.

“Old Jiang…”

“Sorry, I accidentally overheard your conversation.”

Du Fan was wearing a faded gray T-shirt, the neckline of which had long since lost its shape, and black pants that were still of a spring-autumn style—quite thick and evidently too warm for the height of summer.

Just the same, indeed.

Du Fan was thoroughly brainwashed by his father.

“It’s nothing, it’s not a secret. If you heard it, you heard it.”

Du Fan didn’t seem to care. What’s shameful about supporting a family?

Jiang Yan looked at him intently and said, “Du Fan, you might not like what I’m about to say, but as a partner and friend, I still want to remind you that in your dad’s heart, his pride is more important than you are!”

Upon hearing this, Du Fan was startled and frowned, “What do you mean by that?”

“You understand it all in your heart; you just don’t want to accept it. I bet, in your family, your parents probably favor your younger brother more. But he’s not as good as you are in academics, and he’s not as smart as you. After you got into Beijing University, you basically earned your own tuition by working part-time. Not only did your parents not sympathize with you, but they also boasted to neighbors that their elder son is so capable that he could make money right after starting university, and he doesn’t need them to pay his tuition. You think you’ve gained your parents’ recognition, that you have surpassed your brother in their eyes, so you strain yourself to satisfy their every need with the money you earn. Even if it means you have to skimp to the point of hunger, you can’t bear to refuse their constant demands for money, even if it’s not all spent on them but rather lent out for the sake of face. You never say no… Du Fan, do you know what your eventual outcome will be if this continues in the long run?”

With a pale face and the bridge of his nose trembling slightly behind his old, black-rimmed glasses that needed replacing, Du Fan pressed his lips together and looked at Jiang Yan without uttering a word.

Jiang Yan continued, “Your situation is almost identical to my dad’s. He saved and scrimped from university days, and even after he started working and got married, he still gave most of his salary to his family. Those people felt entitled, and it became a habit to think that earning money came easy to him, that sitting in an office was stress-free, so taking from him was without burden. They never considered his circumstances. Even after my mom divorced my dad, his parents and siblings weren’t worried for him; instead, they were glad about it.

“Du Fan, do you know where my dad is now?”

“… Where?”

“In prison, for embezzlement.”

Du Fan: …

“After my dad was incarcerated, I went back to my grandparents’ house, but no one in the whole family gave me a kind face. They saw me as a burden and told me to get living expenses from my mom. Look, that’s the family my dad scrimped and saved for, almost twenty years in total. Once they saw no more use in him, even his child was despised.

“Du Fan, I tell you all this because I don’t want you to walk the same hard and ridiculous path my dad took. Maybe your parents aren’t like my grandparents, but no matter what, you should always consider yourself first. Helping your family should be within your means. You can help improve their lives or even pay your brother’s tuition fees, but not for the so-called pride, not when you’re still struggling to make ends meet and yet you’re lending money to others. You need to think for yourself, what’s more important—your body, or your dad’s pride?”

With those many words off his chest, Jiang Yan noticed that Du Fan’s face had turned from pale to ashen. His eyes downcast, he remained absorbed in his thoughts.