Chapter 6 At Friends House

Bryan sat between his friends on the living room couch while they tried to console him about leaving the Jing family, but he didn't seem too bothered. "What's the essence of living in royalty when you aren't treated like one?" he always said to them. However, he was deeply troubled about Sasha, who had given him the biggest shock of his life. "It's gonna be okay, bro, I promise. I'm just so glad they didn't kill you before you realized it was time for you to leave that house," Mark said as he examined the scars Bryan had gotten from the numerous beatings he had received in the house. "True, bro. Your life is much more important to us. I know it's been hard for you, but don't worry. We are college buddies, and you can stay with us as long as you want, okay?" James added while Bryan was still staring at the television without saying a single word. He was still confused about how the beating he received was Sasha's idea. He just couldn't believe it. "So, what's with the car outside? You rode it down here, and I was wondering where you got it from because it looks like an old cab," Mark asked. "I really don't know about that car either, Mike. I'm just as confused as you are. The Jing family kicked me out, and when I was about to leave, Mrs. Pheona called me back to take it along with me as my only possession," Bryan broke the silence and said something. "What? Your possession? How come? Did anybody say anything about it to you?" a surprised Mike asked. "Nope, no one said anything, and I've never set eyes on the strange car before now. But there was something strange in what Mrs. Pheona said today. She said it was my father's, but then she kept quiet immediately, like there was something she's hiding. It was as if she said it by mistake," Bryan explained to the guys as they paid maximum attention to him. Both friends were confused. "How does she mean that it's your father's? I thought you were adopted when you were just a year old from the orphanage by Mr. Jing. How come she knows about your dad?" Mike asked, as they all became confused to hear him talk about his parents for the very first time. But Bryan wasn't ready to discuss the topic further as he was still heartbroken. "I think she was just drunk, that was all. She didn't know what she was saying at that point, so it was a slip of the tongue," Bryan, who couldn't explain further, said to his curious friends to end the questioning. "Okay, so what do you intend to do with it?" Mike asked. "I want to start working as a cab driver. That way, I will be able to make some income to sustain myself," he gave a sound reply that left his friends in shock. "What! Are you sure about that? Someone from the Jing family be...." James was about to question Bryan's idea when they heard a hell of a noise outside. They could hear people screaming hysterically, and they decided to take a look. "What's with the noise outside?" Mark asked. They all peeped through the window curiously but were blown away to see the famous Wuyan being surrounded by security and a mob hailing her. Wuyan is the daughter of Mr. Warren, the CEO of the Austelin Company, which gave the Jing family 70 percent of its wealth. Mr. Warren, who was ill, had handed the company to his daughter to manage while she got to understand it better. She is followed by lots of security everywhere she goes, and no one has ever seen her face to know what she looks like as she's always masked with a veil before going out. Rumors had it that the idea of her being masked came from the age of one when the real founder of the Austelin Company was assassinated with his one-year-old son, whose body went missing. Bryan and his friends couldn't take their gaze off her as she went into the store, followed by security, to get something before greeting the public. She kissed the babies that were given to her by obsessed fans and even gave money to the less privileged. "Wow, she's such a kind soul," James, who was lost in her beauty, said. Yes, no one knows what she looks like, but her nice body shape and gestures already gave people the impression of how beautiful she was. Bryan had heard Hopper and Darlington wishing to have a chance with her. Some rumors had it that her face was disfigured with terrible acid by the assassins, which led to her being masked, but no one cares. All they want is to get married to her and get a position in the Austelin Company, which would later be fully managed by her. They watched as she gave her kind gestures to the public before getting into the car and riding away—followed by her massive convoy and the screaming of the public. "***" "Damn, I'm gonna get married to this lady!" James said, and they burst into laughter at how he had said the impossible. "And how are you gonna do that? Man, stop dreaming. She's turned down so many requests from influential billionaires, and a nobody like you doesn't stand a chance," Mark replied, and they all burst into laughter again. There was no way he was going to date someone he literally couldn't get access to. How the hell was he gonna get through the security, much less profess his feelings to her? The boys laughed over the whole issue and got back to the TV, and after a while, Bryan then set out to start his cab work that same day so he could get a little cash. He was able to get a lot of passengers at first, but as he drove into the city, the gaze of people at him was just so confusing. He discovered that old people who had been in the city for a long time stared at his car in a really strange way, but not the young passengers. Some even refused to enter the car, which got him pissed off. "Have you never seen a young cab driver before, or do you have a problem with the car?" he angrily said to an old lady who stopped him but refused to enter, with a strange look. "I think the car is the problem. I don't want to be part of a generational curse," she said in her shaky voice. "Suit yourself," he replied and drove off. Due to how frustrating and tiring the work became, he had to stop at a nearby bar to rest, which took him hours as he got hooked up with a football match.