Chapter 93 concludes the story. He is arranging his own funeral.
Sunlight streamed in.
Standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, the man in the wheelchair felt a long-lost warmth and slightly raised his chin. His dark eyelashes, tinged with gold powder, trembled, and tears slid down his cheeks, like broken beads dripping vertically onto his blue and white hospital gown.
Seeing this, Tao Ting, who was standing to the side, hurriedly raised her trembling hand and gently wiped away the tears on his cheek with the inside of her palm.
He was laughing at himself for his life spent chasing fame and fortune. It was short, but it had its moments of brilliance and its moments of despair. Then he thought, it was all worth it.
Tao Ting walked around to his side, slowly squatted down, and held his right hand, which was cold from the indoor air conditioning.
She looked up to meet Zhu Ao's downcast gaze, a gentle smile playing on her lips: "Let's go back to the hospital..."
Four months ago, Zhu Ao collapsed and vomited blood at his parents' home, and was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. His daughter, Zhu Rui, contacted Tao Ting, who was in Singapore that night to gather design inspiration. She rushed back overnight, and thankfully, her life was saved, although at the cost of having one-third of her stomach removed.
His chronic gastritis had been going on for too long, and it was almost in its late stages.
However, it wasn't entirely out of control. But not long after he was discharged from the hospital, he returned to Beijing, saying that he had too many official matters to attend to there.
Just last month, Zhu Ao transferred all of his available liquid funds into the family trust account he had set up for Tao Ting years ago; half a month ago, he placed his most important business equity and some fixed assets into irrevocable trusts set up for his two children and parents.
He was making arrangements for his own funeral.
“Tingting, I’ve wronged so many people in my life… I’m a complete and utter villain.” His voice was hoarse. “Thank you for still being willing to come and stay with me.”
Tao Ting lifted his hand and pressed it against her cheek: "...I've made mistakes too. I shouldn't have always argued with your parents...I shouldn't have kicked them out of the house..." Her voice grew increasingly choked, tears soaking his skin, "I shouldn't have...kicked and hit you so unreasonably..."
This moment of repentance is not pretense, but a belated awakening. She had relied on his love and indulgence, using her willfulness as a weapon to test his limits time and time again. And he, in turn, had spoiled her into an arrogant and domineering person through this boundless concession.
It's been countless years, before the second child was born. Because of a dispute over the children's education, the grandparents insisted on interfering, and Tao Ting, in a fit of anger, kicked them out of the house. Just then, Zhu Ao came home from work. As soon as he got out of the car, he forcefully pulled her away, uttering warning words. She ran away from home that night. Zhu Ao searched the entire city until dawn, finally finding her in a square. He apologized and knelt down, begging for her forgiveness.
Their relationship was worn down by the accumulation of arguments, misunderstandings, and mutual hurt.
A knock was made on the glass door.
The two looked over at the sound.
Mr. Deng opened the door a crack: "Mr. Zhu, they've already left."
Zhu Ao nodded, exhaled, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
The door had just closed when it was pushed open again.
Zhu Ao's parents appeared at the door.
They came from the hospital.
Wang Min's eyes were filled with tears, while Zhu Jiang, usually so serious, trembled with dry eyelids and lips. At first, he wanted to accuse the child of deliberately sending them away under the pretext of inviting them to a temple to burn incense for him, and of running away from the hospital despite his health. But now, all the words of blame were stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter a single word.
Tao Ting gripped the wheelchair handles and slowly turned the wheelchair around. Zhu Ao looked up at his parents, who stood before him, their aged eyes filled with tenderness and worry for him.
Zhu Ao's lips curled into a smile again, his gaunt cheeks and cheekbones more prominent. Bathed in light, his face was so pale it was almost transparent. Wang Min blinked frequently, quickly wiping away the tears on her face. Before her hand could even fall, she heard her son's soft plea:
"Dad, Mom, I want to go home."
*
Since returning from Beijing, Chen Jiashu has refused to use Tug for two whole days.
When Chairman Chen stopped visiting, everyone felt a little uneasy, and the atmosphere in the office became even more tense.
That evening, Qin Qiao carried a plate of strawberries into the study and gently placed it on the desk. Chen Jiashu only glanced up when the door opened, then continued to stroke the Braille reader with one hand and type on the keyboard with the other, intently "reviewing" the financial report.
Qin Qiao walked to his side, bent down, picked up a plump strawberry, and held it to his lips. The man parted his lips slightly, obediently put it in his mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and slowly swallowed.
Chen Jiashu stopped working, looked up at her, and remained silent for a moment: "Do you think I'm naive? A product is a product, and a person is a person; it's a transaction where money and goods are exchanged. But I... can't get over this. He 'hoped I'd die,' yet..."
Qin Qiao knew he hadn't finished speaking, so she waited quietly.
His voice was terribly hoarse: "Qiaoqiao... I feel like I have a pair of 'eyes' now, and I can 'go wherever I want.' But these 'eyes' were given to me by him, it's so ironic... do you know that?"
Qin Qiao's gentle gaze swept over his dim eyes: "Jia Shu, I understand. You're not naive. You refuse to use Tug not because it's bad, nor because it can't help you. You're struggling with yourself, struggling with that part of yourself in your heart... the part that still retains more than ten years of brotherhood. You can't accept a 'gift' from an 'enemy' with a clear conscience. You feel that it's a betrayal of your past self, a betrayal of the self that has tried so hard to forget Zhu Ao these past few years."
"But have you really forgotten?"
A slender, pale hand caressed Chen Jiashu's left cheek, smooth and cool, like a fragile piece of white porcelain. Qin Qiao's tone softened further, tinged with complex emotions:
"...I saw him on my way home last month, but I haven't told you...His hair has turned white, he looks much older, and he looks much more haggard. At that moment, what flashed through my mind wasn't hatred, but 'How could it have turned out like this?'"
"Hair has turned white..."
The moment Chen Jiashu lowered his eyes, tears rolled down his cheeks: "I'm blind, and his hair has turned white..."
He imagined what Zhu Ao looked like now, but he didn't feel any pleasure in his heart.
For nearly six years, Zhu Ao regarded him as a creditor, and his self-destructive actions were merely a form of compensation to Chen Jiashu. He even "calculated" his creditor's future in the process.
He couldn't find any other word to describe their relationship except "ridiculous".
His numb lips twitched slightly, a movement that was neither a cry nor a laugh.
Qin Qiao watched, took a deep breath, and the man's slightly twitching lips suddenly became somewhat blurred, even the light in front of him seemed to become hazy:
“I’m telling you about his current situation not so that you can forgive him, nor so that you can pity him. I just feel that for our family, everything between us and him should have ended long ago.”
"Can we just consider this a clean break with him?"
"We're even..." Chen Jiashu kept his eyes downcast and gave a very soft sneer.
It's been almost six years. Has he really hated Zhu Ao for six years?
At first, he truly hated him to the core. The second year, the third year... Zhu Ao's figure would appear in every memory of Zhang Shuang. He would remember Zhu Ao with a bruised face after the accident, still smiling foolishly; he would remember Zhu Ao carefully putting his arm around Zhang Shuang's shoulder after Zhang Shuang left, telling him, "Jia Shu, you still have me." But whenever these uncontrollable memories surfaced, he would forcibly cut them off.
Until he learned at the beginning of this year that Zhu Ao was not doing well, he couldn't help but try to find out about his recent situation indirectly.
If Zhu Ao is really not doing well, what will he do?
I don't know... I really don't know...
During that time, that deep-seated weariness returned. No, to be precise, this feeling had been gnawing at him intermittently for years.
During their heart-to-heart talk, Qiaoqiao could already tell that he was suffering from being too clear-headed. Indeed, he was also at fault... which is why he couldn't even hold onto his hatred.
Chen Jiashu exhaled a long breath, as if trying to completely expel the pent-up frustration he had accumulated over the years.
Let's call it even...
Chen Jiashu nodded and replied, "Okay... this time we're completely even."
*
On the tenth day after returning from Beijing, it was raining continuously.
Chen Jiashu had just led Tug into the office and hadn't even sat down when Assistant Zhang knocked and came in: "Chairman Chen, downstairs... President Zhu... Mr. Zhu Jiang, Zhu Ao's father, would like to see you."
After learning of Zhu Ao's death from Zhu Jiang, Chen Jiashu didn't know how he got back to his office, nor what his feelings were when he opened the letter Zhu Ao had left for him.
This is a letter written in Braille.
His trembling fingertips slowly traced across the paper.
Jia Shu:
By the time you read this letter, I will have already passed away. This is not an intrusion, but my last and only request as a dead person.
Now, I entrust its future to you.
How you dispose of it is entirely up to you. Because from the moment it was created, it has belonged to you.
Jia Shu, between us, saying "I'm sorry" is too light, too hypocritical. It can't even compare to one ten-thousandth of the pain you've endured. I know my own sins; I wouldn't regret it even if I were to be shattered to pieces.
I dare not ask for your forgiveness. I only wish that my death could take those "sins" with me, so that you can truly move forward unburdened.
Farewell.
Zhu Ao
Final Words
...
[The End]
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Author's note: The story is now complete. There will be a bonus chapter (only featuring Qiao Qiao and Jia Shu) that will be released later.
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