Gu Youran suddenly found himself standing in the center of a dim ancestral hall.
The ground was littered with the bodies of villagers, and dark red bloodstains meandered like a river on the bluestone slabs.
On the altar, Jiuchen's red skirt was soaked in a pool of blood, and the unique teardrop mole at the corner of her left eye was blurred by blood.
The woman in white was lying quietly beside her, the knife scar on her neck was shocking.
"Jiuchen——"
A heart-wrenching cry broke the silence.
Ali staggered into the ancestral hall and fell to his knees the moment he saw the altar.
He climbed up the altar step by step on his knees, and gently stroked Jiuchen's face with trembling fingers.
At this moment, heavy rain suddenly poured down.
Rainwater fell through the hole in the ancestral hall's roof, washing away the lingering blood on Jiuchen's face.
Ali took off his white robe and wrapped Jiuchen carefully as if he were a treasure.
During seven consecutive days of heavy rain, Ali was digging a grave alone in the back mountain.
When the ninety-eighth villager was buried, all his ten fingernails were turned outward, revealing the white bones at the fingertips.
On the highest cliff, there are two tombs standing side by side.
In front of Jiuchen's grave was her favorite red oil-paper umbrella, with the word "Li" engraved on the handle.
In front of the grave of the woman in white, there were the green jade Buddhist beads that Ali never took off.
Ali planted ninety-nine white camellia trees in front of the grave.
Every dawn, he would pick the latest blooming flower and offer it in front of the monument.
Every night, he fell asleep leaning against the cold tombstone.
On the thirty-third day, all the white camellias suddenly withered.
On the sixty-sixth day, the inscription had been rubbed so hard by him that it was barely legible.
At dawn on the ninety-ninth day, Ali cut off a strand of hair and buried it in the grave.
"Look, Senior Sister."
He lit a torch and threw it at the ancestral hall, and the raging fire instantly engulfed the entire village.
"I'll burn all this dirty karma for you."
At this moment, a crisp sound came from his waist.
The concentric jade pendant that he wore close to his body suddenly broke into two pieces without any warning.
Ali stared at the broken jade and whispered, "Jiuchen, I will avenge you."
His figure gradually disappeared in the rising flames, and the stone tablet with "Xingyu Village" engraved on it behind him collapsed in the flames.
…
The next morning.
Office of the President of Shi Group.
Assistant Qin was organizing documents, and Shi Heng was sitting behind his desk looking through reports.
At this time, the secretary knocked on the door gently, "Mr. Shi, Miss Lina is here."
"Come in."
The door opened and in walked the blonde Lina.
Today, she wore a camel haute couture suit and paired it with limited edition street fashion shoes.
The whole person maintains aristocratic elegance while exuding a bit of fashion and vitality.
"Mr. Shi, good morning."
Lina's standard Mandarin has a hint of British accent.
She had decent manners and a lively look in her eyes, without any of the arrogance that is common among children from wealthy families.
Assistant Qin couldn't help but take a second look.
Is this Mr. Jack's granddaughter?
He had only seen the name in the information before.
Lina sat down opposite Shi Heng.
"Mr. Jack is very concerned about your business plan and even called me last night." Shi Heng said seriously.
"Yes."
Lina took out a business plan from her Hermès handbag and said, "I'm interested in the shop in Area A on the first floor of Shengshi Mingdu."
Assistant Qin immediately responded, "It's indeed unfortunate. All positions in Area A are under long-term contracts."
He flipped through the lease files. "The shortest lease still has two years left."
The office fell silent for a moment.
Shi Heng tapped his slender fingers twice on the desk and suddenly asked, "How is the exhibition area in the atrium of Area B planned now?"
Assistant Qin was startled. "That's the area for seasonal flash mob events, but..."
He quickly understood the intention and said, "If we replan the space, we can indeed create an independent space of 80 square meters."
"Right there."
Shi Heng made the final decision, "It's more conspicuous than Area A and has a larger customer flow."
Lina opened her blue eyes wide in surprise, "Is this... too much trouble?"
Shi Heng looked at Assistant Qin and said, "Contact the design department and have them redecorate it to boutique standards. The rent will be based on the standards for Area A."
"clear."
Assistant Qin quickly took notes and said, "I'll arrange it right away."
Lina said sincerely, "Thank you so much. I will definitely make achievements and live up to your trust."
Shi Heng nodded and said, "I look forward to your brand becoming a new highlight of the prosperous and famous city."
"By the way," Lina's eyes suddenly lit up, "Can I meet Mr. Shi's wife?"
She winked playfully. "I saw her live performance at the planetarium. I didn't expect rock star Lenna to be Mrs. Shi! I'm a big fan of hers."
Shi Heng's expression softened instantly. "She's been sick and hospitalized these past two days. She needs to rest."
Seeing Lina's disappointed look, he added: "I'll arrange a meeting for you when she's better."
"Then I can go to the hospital..."
"No need."
Shi Heng interrupted her, not allowing for argument, "The doctor ordered absolute silence."
Lina pursed her lips slightly in disappointment, then smiled again.
"Then...I wonder if Mr. Shi is free at noon? I'd like to treat you to a meal."
After all, Shi Heng helped a lot today.
"Sorry, I already have a client appointment at noon."
Shi Heng glanced at his watch and said, "But as the host, I will treat you to dinner at the Emperor Club at six o'clock tonight."
Lina clapped her hands happily, "Then it's settled!"
She stood up to say goodbye, and when she reached the door, she suddenly turned around, put her index finger on her chin and said playfully, "Remember to get Lenna's autograph for me!"
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