It was only an hour's train ride and a ten-minute taxi from school to home. Usually, Fang Jueyu would nap through the dull journey, but this time he was deep in thought.
Cao Lan's words that morning had been strange. It seemed that in all his years, she had never spoken to him with such seriousness. Could there be some problem at home?
But that didn't make sense. Apart from his parents, Fang Jueyu had no other relatives. He had never met his grandparents on either side since he could remember, and as far as he was concerned, they had likely passed away a long time ago.
As for the family's financial issues? That had been a mystery troubling Fang Jueyu for twenty years. He had never seen his parents go to work, and he didn't even know what they did for a living.
Though they weren't extremely wealthy, money had never been a concern at home, and Fang Jueyu had no idea where their money came from.
He faintly felt that this time Cao Lan had called him back to reveal something that might answer the questions that had plagued him for years.
"Son, over here!" As soon as he stepped out of the station, Fang Jueyu saw his father waving at him, but Fang Huai looked so young that if he told people they were brothers, no one would doubt it.
Not only that, Fang Huai was even taller and more handsome than Fang Jueyu, which sometimes made Fang Jueyu wonder if his parents were some kind of immortal demons, but he had no evidence.
"Hm? Dad? Did you buy a car?" Fang Jueyu stared in surprise at the Porsche Cayenne beside Fang Huai. Although he wasn't very knowledgeable about cars, he knew that with additions, it would cost at least a million or so. When did their family have so much money?
"What's so strange about it? It's just an old beater," Fang Huai casually lifted Fang Jueyu's hefty luggage with one hand and tossed it into the trunk. "Get in!"
Fang Jueyu climbed into the car, feeling as if everything was surreal. A Porsche called an old beater?
Their home was in a very ordinary neighborhood, the house wasn't large, only about eighty or ninety square meters; it could not be more ordinary. But he suddenly felt that his family was far more complicated than he had imagined.
When he got home, a rich aroma of dinner immediately burst forth, tantalizing Fang Jueyu's taste buds. Cao Lan had already prepared dinner waiting for their return.
"Wife, your cooking skills have improved!" Fang Huai said playfully as he approached and kissed Cao Lan. The old couple was still so affectionate, which made Fang Jueyu, who was still reeling from shock, roll his eyes.
Cao Lan's cooking was indeed marvelous, and Fang Jueyu devoured his food greedily. Compared to that, the envied meals in the school's popular cafeteria were nothing short of swill.
"Eat up. This might be the last time dad and mom eat with you!" Cao Lan's gaze suddenly filled with reluctance as she looked at Fang Jueyu.
"The last time?" Fang Jueyu paused, putting down his chopsticks. "What do you mean?"
"Well," Fang Huai cleared his throat, "Son, you are twenty years old now, and there are things we should tell you. Let's talk in the study."
Cao Lan and Fang Huai headed to the study, with a puzzled Fang Jueyu following behind.
The study was as tidy as usual, but the only difference was that there was a delicately crafted small box on the desk.
"Son, there are things we have hidden from you for a long time. However, we wanted you to grow up like a normal child, so we didn't tell you many things," Fang Huai said, "But, we plan to leave here, so before we go, you should know these things too."
"You guys aren't going to tell me you're monsters, are you?" Fang Jueyu blurted out.
"What nonsense are you talking, kid?" Fang Huai smacked Fang Jue on the head. "Your grandfather's news has recently disappeared. Your mom and I are planning to go to the last place they appeared to check it out. We're leaving first thing in the morning!"
"My grandfather?" Fang Jueyu was stunned. "Isn't my grandfather already dead?"
"Smack!" Another slap landed on his head. "Who told you your grandfather had died? He's just not on Earth anymore. We've been keeping in touch, but recently we haven't been able to sense any news from him, so your mom and I are a bit worried and are planning to find him."
"What... what? Not on Earth?" Fang Jueyu's head spun in confusion. Were his parents on drugs? What nonsense were they spouting?
"Um... It might be difficult for you to accept," Cao Lan thought for a moment. "Let me put it this way, your dad, and your grandparents, they aren't normal people."
"How abnormal?"
"Our lifespan extends to a thousand years, we hardly age, and we have powers beyond your imagination!"
"Hahaha, Mom and Dad, have you been watching too many sci-fi movies?" Fang Jueyu laughed heartily. Today wasn't April Fool's Day.
"Hey, silly child!" Cao Lan shook his head. "No wonder. When your grandfather first told your dad about this, he nearly peed himself!"
"Shut up, give me some face in front of the child!" Fang Huai muttered as he opened a box. Inside the box was something that looked like a syringe, filled with an unknown liquid.
"This is an heirloom passed down from our ancestors for generations, for thousands of years. You just need to inject this into your body, and you'll understand everything!"
"Oh, by the way, if you miss us, just boost your authority level quickly so you can contact us. And, since I'm worried you might starve, smarty-pants, I've already transferred all the wealth our family has accumulated over the generations into your name, you'll know all about it in time."
"Wealth? How much wealth do you think our family has that I don't know about?" Fang Jueyu pouted. "By the way, Dad, where did you get that car? It wasn't rented, was it?"
"Get lost!" Fang Huai gave Fang Jueyu a noogie. "I've deposited some money in this card for you, spend it however you like, we can't finish spending our money anyway."
Fang Jueyu took the black bank card. The material felt slightly different, and its design seemed quite upscale.
"With this card, you can enjoy VIP treatment at any major shopping mall across the country. Oh, and if you don't believe it, you can check how much money is in there!" Fang Huai said with a mysterious smile. "I've already linked the card to your phone!"
Curious, Fang Jueyu entered the card number on his computer and initiated a balance inquiry.
A text message quickly popped up on his phone, and a string of zeros made his head buzz.
"Eight zeros! A whole hundred million!"
"This... this can't be real, right?" Fang Jueyu's expression grew vacant. "Dad... Mom... how much money does our family actually have?"
Fang Huai and Cao Lan exchanged innocent gazes, then both showed helpless expressions. "We don't even know. Many enterprises have our shares, and the developers of this neighborhood are also part of our group. I guess there probably isn't anyone richer than us in this world, huh…"