Chapter 11: Dinner with my parents

I heard someone knock on the door so I went to open it.

"Miss, dinner is ready." Rona said.

"Are mama and papa home already?" I asked.

"Yes, Miss, they just arrived and will be joining you for dinner shortly."

"Ok." I said as I exited my room and walked to the dining room.

When I arrived, I took my usual seat. While waiting for my parents, I started contemplating again.

Although I have my college life mission, I also have others. I mean, life does not solely revolve around one's love life. Now, one of those missions include helping my parents get richer of course! I don't want us to be kicked out of the social circle. I can still vividly recall how depressing that time was to me, and especially to my parents.

To them, it felt like they failed our ancestors because they were not able to maintain the affluence of our family that has been passed through the generations.

They have been in the social circle much longer than I have been, and their friends and everyone else suddenly abandoning them was terrible. Wait, that did not sound right. Not everyone abandoned them, there were still some real friends who tried to reach out. However, my parents were too ashamed to face them.

As their daughter, I also felt bad that I can do nothing to help. When all was good, I just spent all the money without thinking how they tried to earn those to give me all the things I could ever want. I even spent so much time abroad just getting my allowance and studying while idling around. So, when everything came tumbling down, I was also at a loss.

In the end, my parents retired quietly in one of our townhomes remaining in the province and lived a life of seclusion.

Anyway, I did not have the ability to keep that from happening before, but since I do now, I should advise them where to invest our money. I do know some of the places that will be booming in the future.

However, my parents should not buy too much. I mean, what if they buy too much land in a certain area I ask them to? It might lead to no further development in the area. That won't be good.

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Yesterday, I was not able to have dinner with my parents as they were still in province B having an ocular to one of our factories there. Thus, since returning to this timeline, this was the first time that I saw and talked to them.

I observed them first and felt happy seeing that they were obviously livelier, more vigorous, and younger looking. I recall that when I came home from country E, their faces suddenly aged by 20 years and it's like the world was weighing on their shoulders.

I wish that I would never get to see that happen in this lifetime. Since I have the foresight, I will definitely ensure that.

After finishing dinner, my parents started talking to me about school.

"So, Michelle, how was your first day in college?" My mother, Janet Lui, asked with a smile.

I was their only daughter, for during their generation, our government was strict with the implementation of the one child policy.

"It was good, mama. I get to meet many people and it was very exciting. Oh, by the way, have you heard of Steven Sy? I think I just met him in one of my classes." Ok, why not ask my parents about that too? Maybe they know something?

"Steven Sy? Ah, the only son of the Sy corporation. I heard of the name but have never seen him before. We also don't have any business with their family. Why? Have my daughter set her eyes on her first crush now?" my mother teased.

My father, Morris Lui, cleared his throat. "Michelle, you're still too young to think about those kinds of things. Finish school first."

Ugh, now there goes my probing. Oh well. "Yes, papa. I only asked because I was curious. Anyway, Ma, how was your trip, did you also have a vacation aside from doing the ocular?"

"Yes, we went to this new hot spring resort in the area. In fact, I have been thinking of investing on one. It's such a delight. On your sem break, let's go there." My mother enthusiastically shared.

Now, there goes the first issue. Wrong investments. Perhaps not 100% necessarily wrong, but maybe there's also bad luck? Nah. This one was totally wrong. My parents invested 50 million yuan in province B for their project 'dream resort'. After all negotiations about the land, construction immediately began. The resort was opened in 2009. All was good until an earthquake happened in 2012, only 3 years after the resort opened, and 80% of the resort's structure collapsed.

Was that bad luck? The answer we found out later was a no. My parents got duped. But what to do? We tried to rely on insurance as it was a force majeure but since the resort was built on top of a fault line, and apparently the contractor they hired knew it, the insurance did not cover our loss. The contractor ran away and was no where to be found, and the only silver lining was that no one got hurt.

"Mama, I don't think building a hot spring resort in province B is a good idea. I heard that there are fault lines there. Maybe if you really want to build one, you should go for province F." I suggested. Hehe, province F will have a sudden boom in 3 years' time. I remembered that my parents were lamenting that they did not buy land there instead.

"Now that you mentioned it… Morris, haven't your friend offered to sell his land to you at province F?" my mother asked.

"Yes, but I already said no this morning because you told me that you already had a verbal agreement with the owner of the land you want to buy in province B." My father answered.

"Indeed. It would be embarrassing to back out of the deal now…" my mother replied.

OMG. I almost had a panic attack. My mother was about to buy it already? "Mama, whatever happens, don't buy a land from province B! Papa, talk to your friend again! Buy that land!"

My parents were surprised. "Are you okay Michelle?" my father asked.

Alright, maybe I overreacted but this is a life and death for our social status! My mother is hardheaded, but she's superstitious. I got to use that to my advantage.

"Papa, Mama, last night, I had a very bad dream. I dreamed that there was an earthquake in province B, and we were in a resort there and it all collapsed because it was on top of a fault line… please I don't want to go there in the future. And now that you mentioned you will build one there, what if that's ours? Also, about the one in province F, I always felt that province F is a good place. I want to go there someday." I said a little dramatically.

My parents looked at each other.

"Michelle, are you sure?" my mother asked.

"Yes, if you really like that land in province B, you have to double check. Maybe my dream was true? It can't be just coincidence Mama..."

"Alright Michelle, we will check. This is the first time this happened, and we trust you." My mother said.

I nodded my head, "Yes, mama now I feel more assured. Papa, you have to call your friend."

"Maybe tomorrow. I think it's not proper to call now as it's already a bit late."

"NO!!!! you have to call him now… uh… I really like that place…" I tried to save. What? That province F will be like a gold mine! I mean not literally, but everyone who invested there benefitted greatly because the value of land there multiplied by 10 times in a matter of 3 years!

"What's wrong with you?" My father asked.

"Please, just trust in me Papa. I won't be able to sleep if you don't."

My father although was strict treated me like the pearl in his palm. When I said those words, he took out his phone to call his friend.

And so, after hearing my father confirm that he will buy it, I was finally able to give a relieved sigh.

--

TBC