Chapter 42: Voluntary Withdrawal

The crowd fell silent instantly, as if everyone had stopped breathing.

No one had expected that Instructor Liu had truly come for Chen Fan.

Even more unexpected was that Instructor Liu intended to recommend Chen Fan for enrollment in the Imperial Academy, only for Chen Fan to refuse.

This was simply staggering.

Nearby, Chen Hao immediately felt a sense of threat; if Instructor Liu chose Chen Fan, there was a high probability that he would fail to be selected.

"I... Instructor, sir? Did... did you make a mistake? You are recommending Chen Fan to the Imperial Academy, and Chen Fan rejected you?"

Grandmother asked, stammering.

"That is correct,"

Instructor Liu replied.

"I came today in the hope that you would persuade him not to make a mockery of his own future. But now, it appears he has nothing to do with you anymore,"

Instructor Liu said with a cold face.

Having heard the harsh words spoken earlier by Chen Fan’s family members, Instructor Liu had clearly seen their true attitude.

He had never imagined such cold-hearted relatives could exist.

Instantly, Instructor Liu’s impression of them plummeted.

"I... Instructor, sir, you misunderstood. Just now, I w... was merely joking. Chen Fan is my grandson, how could I ever expel him from the Chen family?"

Grandmother squeezed out an ugly smile across her wrinkled face and said.

Having heard Instructor Liu mention earlier that Chen Fan might one day be ennobled as a marquis or appointed as a chancellor, Grandmother naturally could not bear the thought of casting him out of the family.

Otherwise, the Chen family would never be able to bask in the slightest bit of his future glory.

"I daresay even the street performers doing face-changing acts cannot match the speed of your changes,"

At that moment, Chen Fan approached, accompanied by Yingchun and Yingxia.

Hearing Chen Fan's words, Grandmother's expression turned instantly awkward.

"Greetings, Instructor,"

Chen Fan offered a bitter smile and bowed to Instructor Liu.

He had thought that his insistence on pursuing commerce yesterday would have infuriated Instructor Liu beyond measure, yet he never expected the man to visit in person today.

The old man certainly possessed remarkable tenacity.

"Ah, I originally intended to let your family persuade you, but it seems there is no longer any need for that,"

Instructor Liu said with a helpless smile.

"There is a need! Most certainly a need!"

"Chen Fan is a descendant of the Chen family; we will definitely persuade him properly."

Before Chen Fan could speak, Grandmother chimed in with nervous haste the moment Instructor Liu finished his sentence.

She refused to let slip this golden opportunity for the Chen family to soar to unprecedented heights.

Thus, she boldly attempted to use the entire Chen family as leverage to sway Chen Fan.

"Chen Fan, Grandmother knows she didn't care for you properly in the past, and that was my fault."

"From now on, Grandmother will listen to you in everything. The Chen family shall be under your command from this day forth."

Grandmother hurried to say.

Hearing this, the expressions of the eldest uncle and his wife changed drastically.

How could they possibly tolerate Grandmother handing over the Chen family—which rightfully belonged to Chen Hao—to Chen Fan?

"Mother! Ho... how could you do such a thing? How can you give the Chen family to him?"

The eldest uncle and his wife immediately protested with anxious urgency.

"Silence! It is not your place to speak on matters of the Chen family right now,"

Grandmother snapped angrily.

She then turned back to Chen Fan with a flattering, obsequious smile, believing that the offering of an entire family would win him over.

Little did she know that Chen Fan held the Chen family in utter contempt; the money he had earned over the past few days alone far exceeded what the Chen family could make in five years of grueling toil.

"So, you are no longer expelling me from the Chen family, then?"

Chen Fan asked with a faint smile, turning the tables on her.

Hearing this, Grandmother grew immensely excited, convinced that her sincerity had finally touched his heart.

"Grandmother was only joking earlier! You are Grandmother's good grandson, the pride of the Chen family. How could Grandmother ever bear to expel you?"

Grandmother rushed to explain.

In her mind, the pride of the Chen family had now shifted seamlessly from Chen Hao to Chen Fan.

Hearing these words, the smile on Chen Fan's face grew even wider.

"Since you already expelled me from the Chen family, does that mean I am still a member of the Chen family right now?"

Chen Fan asked with a chuckle.

"Of course! You are the pride of our Chen family; naturally, you are one of us,"

Grandmother nodded eagerly without hesitation.

"Very well. Then I have an announcement to make,"

Chen Fan said, sweeping his gaze across Grandmother and the gathered crowd.

All eyes instantly locked onto Chen Fan, wondering what on earth he could possibly announce at a moment like this.

"From this moment onward, I, Chen Fan, sever all ties with the Chen family."

"From this day forward, your Chen family has nothing whatsoever to do with me."

"Remember this: it is not you expelling me from the Chen family, but rather I, Chen Fan, who disdain your household and choose to leave of my own accord."

Chen Fan declared in a ringing voice.

None of the onlookers had expected Chen Fan to take the initiative in breaking away from his family, and their eyes were filled with profound respect.

Yet everyone understood his decision, having witnessed with their own eyes how poorly the Chen family had treated him over the years.

At that moment, the assembled guests cast mocking, spectator-like glances toward Grandmother.

Grandmother's face drained of all color in an instant; she had never dreamed that Chen Fan would dare to cast the family aside so decisively.

Nearby, Instructor Liu watched Chen Fan with a complex expression in his eyes.

After all, in the Great Xia dynasty, which placed paramount importance on filial piety, a person voluntarily severing ties with their family was regarded by the world as an act of grave unfilial conduct.

Instructor Liu had not anticipated that Chen Fan would be bold enough to take such a step. Did he not fear the malicious gossip of the world?

At the same time, he grew increasingly curious about what deep-seated grievances existed between Chen Fan and the Chen family to drive him to such a drastic decision.

"Chen Fan, you..."

Grandmother attempted to persuade him further, but Chen Fan merely turned his back on her, refusing to grant her another glance.

"Instructor, sir, since matters here no longer concern me, would you care to visit my humble dwelling?"

Chen Fan said to Instructor Liu.

"Very well,"

Instructor Liu replied after a brief moment of thought.

Without casting a single parting look at the members of the Chen family, Chen Fan led Instructor Liu away toward his small, dilapidated house.

Watching the figures of Chen Fan and Instructor Liu leaving side by side, Grandmother was consumed by an overwhelming wave of remorse.

Her vision blurring, she collapsed limply onto the ground, utterly desolate.

Meanwhile, Chen Hao and Zhao Hong伟 exchanged glances, each reading the tension etched clearly upon the other's face.

If Chen Fan entered the Imperial Academy, Chen Hao feared he would lose his own chance of admission.

If Chen Fan entered the Imperial Academy, Zhao Hongwei feared Chen Fan would become a formidable rival in the imperial examinations the following year.

Therefore, neither of them wished to see Chen Fan set foot in the Imperial Academy. Yet it was evident that Instructor Liu had made up his mind to sponsor him, or he would not have made a personal visit to plead his case.

With a tacit understanding, Chen Hao and Zhao Hongwei walked away to a secluded spot.

"We must put our plan into action immediately, or it will be too late,"

Chen Hao said in a low voice.

"Agreed,"

Zhao Hongwei replied, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes.

Of all this, Chen Fan remained entirely unaware. He had already guided Instructor Liu to his battered little home.

Instructor Liu looked around the shabby dwelling with a trace of surprise.

Judging from the courtyard of the Chen family earlier, they could hardly be considered impoverished to this degree. Why, then, did Chen Fan choose to live in such a place?

"Though the room is humble, my virtue makes it fragrant."
*(Note: A classic literary allusion from Liu Yuxi's "In Praise of My Humble Room")*

"I hope the Instructor will not mind the squalor,"

Chen Fan said with a light smile.

Having lived two lifetimes, Chen Fan was well aware that this scholarly old man held a deep admiration for talent, and thus deliberately quoted a fitting classical verse.

The moment those words left his lips, Chen Fan saw Instructor Liu's gaze lock onto him with an intense, burning fervor—as if he were looking at a rare and priceless treasure.