Serendipity

Pilot

Nineteen years ago, I was born in Beijing, the capital of China. It was beautiful. The history and architecture had reached nearly 3 millenia. My father, who was a Chiang, was married into the prestigious Soong family. Two powerful families united under Budda. I was one of seven children that were mainly raised by nannies.

My eldest four siblings had made my parents proud with the eldest brother, the first born, already taking part in the several companies our parents established. The second born, my eldest sister, had made her own law firm. The other two were head surgeons in different hospitals. Now, my younger two siblings were a bit more interesting. My youngest brother was still in high school while the one closest to my age was a part of a pop band in Korea.

With my mom being the first female president of China, she was expected to carry many heirs. Our families even dated back to the Qin Dynasty. My parents' children were expected to be great, expected to make a difference. Most of us had. Though, the more kids they had, the less involved they were.

I moved to Shanghai as soon as I turned eighteen. I wanted to be separate from my family. I wanted to make my own name. Besides, being a middle child meant that my existence was pretty much invisible. I was an outcast in a family of greats because I didn't fit the mold. I didn't want to be a politician or a doctor or a lawyer or a business woman. I just wanted to make my art and be normal.

I kept my name hidden when I moved to Shanghai. I even made my first and only friend. Xie Lan Yuan had literally run into me on our first day of university. Luckily, we were both headed to the same mandatory class and were inseparable ever since. Lan Yuan was all about drama, even though she was a computer science major and a huge nerd. She gamed whenever she got the chance and even wrote a Star Wars fanfiction.

She and I shared an apartment near the campus. We shared a lot of the same views and split our classes by interest. There were ten classes total that we were both interested in and decided we'd each take five. We basically killed ourselves our first year. It wasn't until we took up more free online learning that taught us more detailed versions of the topics that we dropped the classes.

We now only took our main study along with one elective. I took art and economics while Lan Yuan took computer science and administrative business. Our parents paid for our tuition but we both took up jobs along with household chores. Lan Yuan was Vietnamese and Chinese, and her parents stayed in Vietnam. She was alone in Shanghai just like I was.

We were now in our sophomore year at Ming De University. It was a very large campus and close to the city. Lan Yuan thrived on gossip, just like most teens. This year was already quite interesting as a freshman 'attacked' a guest speaker on college grounds. She was the talk of the town. I hardly listened when she spoke about it all with her older friend Guo Kaijie, a student of journalism.

I went to school, then to work, and I worked on my craft any time I could. I worked as a co-manager in a bakery in a mall. I worked long and busy hours but it paid well. My father had given me a credit card that had way too big a limit. I never use it unless I had to, which thankfully I hadn't needed too.

I also sold my art that would sell at high prices. Few times, they were even put at auctions, resulting in my name getting out into the world. Lan Yuan was in charge of my socials, which she was great at. She was one of my biggest inspirations. I painted her a lot as she meant a lot to me. She made me feel like a person and her family was even more welcoming.

Lan Yuan didn't come from money. She and her brother were raised on a farm. Her brother had become a successful designer for a famous company and sent her clothes all the time. He paid for her tuition, and gave her nearly anything she asked for. But unlike my younger siblings, she didn't expect him to just do anything she asked. She was always thankful for whatever she received. Her mom always sent her snacks and delicious homemade meals.

My parents hadn't contacted me since I left, and neither had any of my siblings beside my younger brother, the kpop idol. He sent me music and merch all the time and made sure to stay in contact, afterall we were the two outcasts. We weren't close but we had an unspoken bond. Maybe it was because we never got time with our parents so we replaced them with each other. He would text me for every accomplishment and I couldn't have been more proud.

WC 861