Chapter 17: The Stunned Parents
Evening had fallen.
Xiao Ran was about to go out for dinner when he happened to see Elaine returning and about to enter her apartment.
He quickly called out to the French beauty.
“Good evening, Elaine. I have something to discuss. Are you free?”
Elaine glanced back at him.
“Good evening, Sean. Come in and talk.”
Xiao Ran nodded and followed her into the apartment.
Once inside, he got straight to the point.
“I’m terribly sorry, Elaine, but I can’t sell the Aphrodite statue by the sculptor Boudel to the Louvre anymore.”
“A friend of mine really liked that top-tier artwork and asked to buy it. I sold the sculpture to him at noon.”
Elaine was momentarily stunned, somewhat surprised.
Then she smiled and shook her head gently.
“That’s alright. The Aphrodite statue originally belonged to you. It’s your right to decide whom you sell it to, and no one else can interfere.”
“I want to congratulate you on becoming a newly minted millionaire. It’s simply unbelievable.”
As she spoke, she lightly tapped Xiao Ran’s shoulder with a fist.
“Yes! It truly is unbelievable. I still feel a bit unreal,” Xiao Ran smiled and nodded, then shifted the topic.
“Please do me a favor and apologize to Pierre for me. I’m very grateful to him for helping to authenticate the statue of the goddess.”
“No need to mention it. Pierre isn’t petty; at most, he’s a little regretful.”
“That’s good to hear. Still, I feel a bit embarrassed.”
After some casual chatting, Xiao Ran invited Elaine out to dinner to express his thanks.
Unfortunately, she had already eaten.
Xiao Ran abandoned the idea and decided to find another opportunity to thank the French beauty.
After leaving Elaine’s apartment, he went alone to a nearby Chinese restaurant for dinner.
UCLA had many students from China and Chinese-American students, so there were a few Chinese restaurants near the university.
As for how authentic the food was, that was another matter altogether!
Although Xiao Ran now had a net worth of tens of millions of dollars, he didn’t go out spending lavishly or shopping wildly.
In fact, even if he wanted to indulge in reckless spending, there weren’t many places to go.
This was West Hollywood, adjacent to the famous Beverly Hills, one of the most prosperous districts in all of Los Angeles, filled with upscale venues.
But at this unusual time, everywhere was desolate, with only a few places open.
More importantly, going to those places carried great risks; if he got infected, it would be disastrous!
He had enough of staying home alone and never wanted to experience such isolation again.
After dinner, he returned straight to his apartment and immediately got busy.
He first took out a USB drive and checked all the materials and papers inside.
Fortunately, all his thesis materials and drafts were intact and undamaged.
He breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed completely.
Next, he copied all the documents onto his new laptop and uploaded a copy to the cloud, just in case.
Having finished these tasks, he glanced at the time and then started a video call with his mother back in the capital.
The call connected instantly, and his mother appeared on screen.
It was the weekend, and both his parents were resting at home, cooking lunch, wearing aprons.
Seeing his mother, Xiao Ran smiled and waved.
“Mom, I’ve got good news. My suitcase has been returned, the USB drive is still inside, and all the materials are intact.”
Hearing this, his mother burst into joyful laughter.
“That’s wonderful! Now you can graduate smoothly and won’t have wasted your time studying abroad or need to delay your graduation!”
Before she finished speaking, his father joined the camera, equally pleased.
Then Xiao Ran got to the main point.
“Dad, Mom, I have even better news. Sit tight and don’t be shocked!”
“Better news? Have you found a girlfriend? Is she Chinese or foreign?” his mother asked in surprise.
Xiao Ran smiled helplessly.
“Mom, isn’t it a little early to rush marriage? We can talk about it when I return home.”
“This has nothing to do with a girlfriend. It’s something else.”
“Nothing to do with a girlfriend? Then what kind of good news is that?”
Like all mothers, his mother’s two main concerns were his safety and when he’d find a girlfriend.
Everything else came second.
Seeing this, Xiao Ran decided not to keep them in suspense.
“Dad, Mom, listen to me. Sit down on the sofa first, and I’ll reveal the mystery.”
“What are you up to now? Making a fuss!” his mother grumbled but sat down anyway.
His father did the same, sitting beside her.
Once they were settled, Xiao Ran proudly said:
“This is how it is. Your son is no longer who he used to be. I now have a net worth of ten million dollars and can be considered a wealthy man who has achieved basic financial freedom!”
As expected, his parents were stunned for a moment, then scoffed.
“Are you sleepwalking and talking nonsense?”
“Net worth of ten million dollars? Why don’t you say you’re a billionaire while you’re at it?”
“Even if pies fell from the sky, they wouldn’t drop on your head.”
“Is that the good news you’re talking about? Wake up, son, stop dreaming!”
Despite their teasing, Xiao Ran smiled even brighter.
“You know, Mom, maybe I’ll be a billionaire very soon.”
“Dad, I’m not dreaming. This is real.”
“I have a contract here. Take a look, and you’ll understand.”
He then pulled out the sales contract for the goddess statue and held it up to the phone camera.
His parents’ English was good enough to understand the contract without issue.
Just as they began reading, his father’s phone suddenly chimed—a message alert.
He glanced at his phone and suddenly exclaimed.
“Ah! Xiao Ran just transferred eight million dollars into my bank account. Is this for real?”
His mother’s hand holding the phone trembled, clearly shocked.
She quickly turned to his father and said sternly:
“Xiao Ran transferred eight million dollars to you? That’s an enormous sum. It must be a scam. Delete it immediately!”
Xiao Ran laughed proudly.
“Don’t delete it yet, Dad. That eight million dollars is indeed from me, a gift to you both. Please accept it.”
Before they could respond, they both looked at Xiao Ran in disbelief.
Not waiting for their reply, Xiao Ran continued:
“Don’t doubt me. After reading this antique art sale contract, you’ll understand.”
“I’ll explain the details later.”
“I’ll send you the digital version of the contract and all related documents to prove the legitimacy of the funds!”
“With these proof documents, you can use the money normally without fear of investigation.”
Hearing him speak so earnestly, his parents started to believe him and were astonished.
His mother immediately screenshot the English contract, then enlarged the image with trembling hands to read carefully.
When they saw the $14 million marked on the contract, along with Xiao Ran’s and Sister Chen’s signatures, as well as the signatures of both parties’ lawyers, they were stunned.
Moments later, a sharp cry burst out from the video.
It was his mother’s voice!
And his father nearly slipped off the sofa!