Chapter 814: A Stark Contrast
Reborn into a second life.
In this life, Chen Fan cared for few people.
But without a doubt, apart from his parents, Su Ruochu definitely ranked first.
In his previous life, he died with deep regrets and obsessions, and in the last moment of his life, Su Ruochu was on his mind.
In this life, heaven gave him a chance to live again.
So Chen Fan vowed that in this life, he would make Su Ruochu happy, make her joyful and content.
And if Su Ruochu was sad, Chen Fan would definitely not be happy.
So today, seeing Su Ruochu crying sadly, Chen Fan was very upset.
However, this was Suzhou, and he certainly couldn't call people from afar to come and beat up the Song family.
So to help his wife, Chen Fan could only think of other methods.
Tonight, Su Ruochu's uncle and aunt wouldn't be coming back to sleep, but the uncle had specifically instructed that Chen Fan and Su Ruochu should sleep in his daughter Lin Yutong's room, letting the daughter sleep in the parents' master bedroom.
In the bathroom, Su Ruochu was washing up. Lin Yutong chatted with her classmate on QQ in the living room for a while, feeling a bit bored, she got up to go back to the bedroom to sleep.
Passing by her own room, she noticed the door wasn't closed and curiously glanced inside.
She saw her cousin's boyfriend standing on the balcony, talking on the phone.
"Haha, that's too polite of you to say."
"Indeed, it's been a long time since we last met..."
Seeing this guy's smiling face, Lin Yutong couldn't help but purse her lips, her impression of Chen Fan dropping a few more points in her heart.
This guy had barely made his presence known since he showed up in the afternoon, and knowing that the family was holding a funeral, he was still smiling and chatting on the phone, truly lacking any sense of propriety.
She didn't know how her cousin had fallen for this person.
Lin Yutong snorted and walked back to the master bedroom next door, deliberately slamming the door shut with a bang.
Chen Fan on the balcony curiously glanced towards the door, then continued chatting with the person on the phone.
"I'm in Suzhou now."
"Just some personal matters, came over for a bit. Haha, don't worry, I'll definitely come to visit when I have time."
"Mr. Ma, let's not talk about that now. I called this time because I have a personal matter I'd like to trouble you with."
In Suzhou, the only friend Chen Fan could think of was naturally Boss Ma, Jack Ma.
It was now 2006, and Ma Yun's Taobao had already dominated half of the domestic online shopping market with its Alipay business.
Now, Ma Yun no longer had to run around seeking financing like he did a year ago.
Because with Alibaba's current potential, countless investment banks and companies would actively push money at him.
However, as Alibaba's third-largest individual shareholder after Ma Yun and Sun Zhengyi, Chen Fan had resolutely chosen to support Boss Ma's business when he was in his most difficult time, and had invested heavily to support his financing.
So Chen Fan and Ma Yun had developed a deep personal friendship.
Of course, the reason Ma Yun valued Chen Fan so much was not only because of his previous help in times of need but also because of Chen Fan's keen insight into the internet, with many of his views aligning with Ma Yun's own.
He already viewed Chen Fan as a kindred spirit and greatly valued this friend.
Therefore, when he heard Chen Fan say he had a favor to ask, especially after hearing the content of Chen Fan's request, Ma Yun agreed almost without any thought, immediately smiling and saying:
"Just this? Don't worry, I'll take care of it for you."
Chen Fan smiled, "Thank you very much then."
"You're being too polite. How about this? Last time I invited you over for a gathering, you kept making excuses. Now that you're in my territory, I can't let you run away."
"When do you have time for us to get together? You can also come visit my company while you're at it."
Chen Fan returned the favor, "No problem. Once things are settled here, I'll definitely come over for a drink."
"Haha, then it's settled."
After hanging up the phone, Chen Fan let out a slight sigh of relief.
Just then, Su Ruochu finished washing up and came in, glancing at Chen Fan.
"Who were you calling? Is there something going on at the company?"
"Actually... you don't have to stay here with me. Your company is so busy, if there's something you can go back to work first."
Chen Fan smiled and shook his head.
"No, I was just chatting with a friend for a moment."
He walked over and gently took Su Ruochu's hand.
"Don't overthink it. Get some rest early, we need to get up early tomorrow. I'll accompany you to see your grandmother off for the last time."
"Mm."
......
Su Xuecheng's worries came true.
Early the next morning.
At the funeral home, because the farewell halls of the Lin family and the Song family were right next to each other.
It caused the two families to be at odds as soon as they met, especially since the Song family had put on a grand display, with many people coming.
Not only did they make a lot of noise, but even their wreaths were placed in the Lin family's Guiyuan Hall.
The Lin family's people naturally couldn't stand for this, and argued with them once. If it wasn't for the eldest uncle's efforts to control the situation, both sides would have almost come to blows.
At 8:30 in the morning, the memorial service was about to begin.
Compared to the bustling crowd on the Song family's side, the Lin family's Guiyuan Hall seemed rather shabby.
Because the difference in the number of guests between the two sides was too great.
On the Lin family's side, apart from their own relatives and friends, there were only 34 people in total.
Last night, the Lin family had been making phone calls all night, inviting almost everyone they could.
But looking at it this morning, the effect was minimal.
The number of guests who could come was pitifully small.
Most people had been polite on the phone, but didn't show up at all.
The better ones at least sent a wreath even if they didn't come, but many didn't even send a wreath.
Especially on Su Ruochu's eldest uncle's side, he had made dozens of phone calls last night.
He had contacted all his business partners and bosses he knew in the business circle.
But today, no one came.
To put it bluntly, he was just a small boss, and in the business circle, no one cared about his face.
The eldest uncle stood alone at the entrance, his expression as gloomy as water.
The thing people fear most in the world is comparison.
If it were any other time, the memorial service the Lin family had arranged today would have been quite good.
But now, compared to the Song family next door, it seemed rather shabby.
Especially since the other party was someone they had conflicts with.
This made people even more stifled, with a fire they couldn't release.
Su Xuecheng comforted him: "Don't think too much about it. Maybe it's because it's the New Year period, and some bosses think it's inauspicious..."
The eldest uncle shook his head and smiled bitterly.
"You don't need to comfort me."
"Isn't this how the business world is? There's no real friendship, everyone is just putting on an act."
"To put it bluntly, I'm just a small boss, I don't have enough face to make them come all the way here."
The eldest uncle looked up at Su Xuecheng.
"Alright. You don't need to comfort me. I'm fine."
"It's just that mother will have to suffer a bit of grievance. Her son is incapable, can't even arrange a proper memorial service for her after her death."
Su Xuecheng was about to say something when the eldest uncle suddenly waved his hand.
"Let's leave it at that. Later, help me keep an eye on those young people, make sure they don't get into conflicts with the people next door."
"Today's primary goal is to get through the memorial service smoothly."
Su Xuecheng nodded seriously: "I understand."
However, just as they finished speaking, the sound of an argument came from outside.
Their expressions changed slightly, and they hurried out.
Looking outside, they saw the Lin family's people arguing with the Song family's people next door.
A commotion had started.