Chapter 108: New Year’s Gift

Fireworks exploded in the air early in the morning on the first day of the first lunar month.

Chen Chuan woke up from sleep. He put his hands behind his head and just lay in bed quietly. Even though the living situation at the dormitory was great, his uncle’s house still gave him a feeling of warmth and comfort.

After lazing around for a while, he got up and got dressed before pulling the curtains back and opening the window. The sun poured in. It had snowed the entire night, so the ground and the eaves seemed to be covered by a white blanket.

Chen Chuan took a few deep breaths before going to take a shower. He gave New Year wishes to Nian Fuli and Yu Wan when he saw them. Then, he called Cheng Zitong, Bian Feng, and some other lecturers to wish them a happy New Year.

After breakfast, Chen Chuan went outside to open the mailbox and brought a stack of New Year greeting cards back to his room. Most of them were from his former classmates and university mates, but one of them stood out. Upon opening it, he saw a New Year blessing written in beautiful handwriting. It said, “Wishing you many blessings for the New Year.”

Meng Shu had always handled sending New Year greeting cards flawlessly. Regardless of whether she was close friends or mere acquaintances with someone, she would always send them greeting cards. Chen Chuan had also sent one to her, since the old Chen Chuan always did that.

There was no direct postal service between Central City and Yangzhi City, so he could only send the greeting card to her old house. Whether she would receive it or not was not within his control.

Two tiny heads peeked into his room with tiger-shaped winter hats. “Happy New Year, Chen Chuan!” they shouted together.

The two kids then proceeded to stare at him hopefully.

Chen Chuan laughed and went to his drawer to bring out red packets. He handed one to each cousin.

“Thank you, Chen Chuan!” Nian Lu said, while Nian Mo ran away the moment he got his red packet.

Chen Chuan then gave Nian Lu another red packet and winked at her. Nian Lu stared at him for a second before tugging at his shirt. When Chen Chuan bent down, she whispered into his ear, “Don’t worry. I won’t tell Mo Mo.”

Chen Chuan chuckled at that.

“Okay.” He patted Nian Lu’s head and straightened up.

Once Nian Lu ran off, he returned to his desk and started flipping through the notebook that He Xiaoxing had sent him. He did not intend to train today. Since it was a rare day off, he was only going to perform some basic breathing exercises.

Soon, he heard cheers and laughter from children outside. Nian Lu, Nian Mo, and some other children were having a snowball fight.

Chen Chuan remembered Yu Wan telling him that Nian Qian, his eldest cousin, would not be able to come back to celebrate the New Year, which was a pity. His schedule in the military school was packed, and he was at a crucial stage of his studies.

After 9 a.m., people started coming over to visit them. All of them were Nian Fuli’s subordinates. Still, Chen Chuan found that the number of visitors this year was higher. Some of the ones who usually didn’t come dropped by. Their phone also rang nonstop. The moment one call ended, they had to entertain another guest.

Yu Wan told Chen Chuan in secret that Nian Fuli was going to be promoted to a constable brigade commander after the New Year, which shocked Chen Chuan. It was no wonder why Nian Fuli had been in such high spirits over the past few days.

He then remembered Wei Changan telling him that Wei Laohu had been in a bad mood recently. Could it be because of this?

Quite a number of calls were for Chen Chuan. Feng Xiaoqi was the first to call him. He was followed by Ding Jiao, Luo Kaiyuan, and Wei Changan. They thanked him for his greeting cards.

From the first day to the fourth day of the New Year, Chen Chuan went with Nian Fuli and Yu Wan to visit the neighbors, friends and relatives they were close to.

He had wanted to visit Yu Gang, only to learn that Yu Gang had joined the Chain Links Gang and was no longer at the Domain of Fists. Nian Fuli didn’t know where he was, so he could not visit him.

On the fifth day of the New Year, Nian Fuli and Yu Wan left early in the morning while Chen Chuan received a phone call. A lackadaisical voice came through. “Are you at home, cuz? I’m at the entrance of the alley. I can’t believe you have constables posted around your area even during the New Year celebrations.”

Chen Chuan laughed at that. “I’ll come pick you up.”

In the residential area for the families of constables, everyone could come and go as they pleased, but strangers were denied entrance. Even if someone came to visit, they would only be allowed in if the on-duty constables received confirmation from the inhabitants of the area.

Chen Chuan walked to the entrance of the alley, where he saw a tall, slender teenager leaning against a silver car. He wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and had his hair parted. There was a lazy smile on his lips.

He wore a brown, insulated suit and a dark blue patterned tie. Despite having a handsome face, he looked like a scoundrel in a suit due to his long, narrow eyes.

The teenager straightened up and waved at him. “Hey, cuz.”

Chen Chuan smiled at him and gave him a nod. “Don’t just stand there, Gao Ming. Come on in.”

“I have some stuff with me. Help me carry it all.”

Chen Chuan went over. Once Gao Ming opened his trunk, he grabbed the gifts and turned to leave. Gao Ming saw him carrying the gifts in one hand with complete ease and felt a little envious. “Martial Valor University students are just built different,” he muttered with a sigh.

Chen Chuan laughed.

𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

When they got home, Gao Ming looked around. “Are Aunty Wan and Uncle Fuli not at home?”

“They went out.”

“What rotten luck. My dad and uncle have been dragging me everywhere over the last few days, and I have a case on the sixth. I’m only free today,” Gao Ming lamented.

“Want to have lunch together later?” Chen Chuan asked.

Gao Ming cradled his stomach. “Cut me some slack, cuz. Us lawyers have to deal with too many people during the New Year. I’ve been eating eight meals a day! I’m about to puke...”

“Alright. I won’t force you,” Chen Chuan said with a laugh. He was both relatives and classmates with Gao Ming. They grew up together and had always been close, so they were able to talk casually with each other.

“How did you get into Martial Valor University?” Gao Ming asked. “You’ve never learned martial arts before.”

Chen Chuan thought about it and gave a fake reason. “I think it’s because I have talent. The lecturers call it a gift. Apparently, only a handful of people have it.”

Gao Ming did not question it, since Chen Chuan had always been the strongest in their friend group.

“Since you’re a first-class student, you’re bound to have a bright future. You’re a good investment,” Gao Ming said jokingly.

“Are you sure about that? You’ll have to pour in a lot of money to develop me, and you might not get any returns,” Chen Chuan said with a meaningful smile.

Gao Ming was stunned. He pushed his glasses up and stared at Chen Chuan for a bit. His expression became a little stern as he asked uncertainly, “Are you... thinking about going to Central City?”

Gao Ming had always been smart. With just a few words and the bit of information Chen Chuan revealed to him earlier, he managed to figure out his plans.

“Yes. It’s my goal, but I can’t do it alone. I need a lot of help. That’s why I want to look into the possibility of going to Central City with you, but it depends on whether you want to take up this case or not,” he admitted.

His answer made both surprise and excitement bloom on Gao Ming’s face. He removed his glasses, rubbed his eyes, and said, “This is a huge challenge, cuz.”

When he put his glasses on again, his eyes were sparkling, and his voice was laced with interest as he said, “I want to know your relationship with the people in the university, who can help you, who you can trust, and your current strength. I can only make an evaluation after knowing these things.”

Chen Chuan nodded.

Gao Ming knew his family and his former classmates, so Chen Chuan did not talk about them. Instead, he placed emphasis on his relationships with the people in Martial Valor University, mainly with the university’s management and Cheng Zitong.

None of it was a secret. Anyone who wanted to know could learn with just a bit of research. Chen Chuan ended with what he went through while in the university, including taking down Fang Dawei and his gang and getting rid of the ghost at Orchid Fragrance Theater.

“What about your strength?” Gao Ming’s main focus was on his power, because no matter their ambitions, Martial Valor University students’ main worth came from their individual strength. “How strong are you now? How are you compared to the upperclassmen? How big is the gap?”

Chen Chuan thought about it. “I don’t know how strong the first-class upperclassmen are, but let me put it this way. If I had a weapon and fought one on one, then some of the average instructors and lecturers couldn’t win against me.”

He was not just praising himself. If a lecturer did not know about the existence of his second self and he went all out, he could trade blows and end the fight with a single slash from the Frost King Saber. Of course, his strategy would fall apart if the lecturer was much faster than he was in terms of speed and reaction.

Gao Ming’s eyes shone even brighter. He sucked in a deep breath. “You gave me a great New Year’s gift, cuz. Looks like I’ll have to stay a few more days.”

“Don’t you have work tomorrow?” Chen Chuan grinned.

Gao Ming tugged off his tie and threw it on the table before saying bluntly, “Not going. What can possibly be more important than this?”

Mi Law Firm had business deals with Martial Valor University. After learning that Chen Chuan got into the university, Gao Ming had been paying close attention to everything related to it.

After he heard about all that Chen Chuan had done, it was clear that his cousin had already fulfilled the basic conditions to go to Central City. He only lacked a few things.

But that was okay. Gao Ming could find ways to manage and make up for it.

If he managed to send a commoner to Central City, he could already imagine just how much of a buzz it would create in the legal world. It would also be a great help to his own career if he had a cousin who managed to get into Martial Valor University’s main campus.

After some thinking, he said, “I’ll present you a detailed plan and help you analyze the types of situations you’ll need to avoid and face, but I will need to go back to the law firm to look into related cases to prepare it.”

“There’s no need to rush it, but I do have something requiring your immediate attention. I’d like to sign a temporary contract with an agent company, which I’d like you to look over,” Chen Chuan said.

“Sure thing,” Gao Ming agreed to it readily. After he asked some questions about the company, the look of interest appeared on his face again. “I think we should have a good, long talk with that company.”