Chapter 41 Living Like Him
Time rushed like a torrent, leaving no one a moment to breathe. Ling Shen remained buried in his mountain of work. The man who once occasionally smiled a gentle smile had returned to his sleepless, workaholic self.
The lights in the office are often on until late at night, and the brown stains at the bottom of the coffee cup are layered on top of each other, as if silently recording every moment of his fight against fatigue.
Ling's Group's performance curve climbed at an astonishing rate. Partners were beaming with joy as they held ever-increasing contracts, and employees were delighted as they watched their bonus amounts rise steadily.
But only his personal assistant understood that behind those impressive statistics was Ling Shen, who was exhausting himself. He had seen Ling Shen suddenly press his throbbing temples in the middle of a meeting, seen him chug painkillers mixed with coffee, and even seen him stare blankly at a report on his computer screen late at night, his eyes filled with an indelible sense of fatigue and emptiness.
The bookstore in the city, which held countless memories, was renovated by Ling Shen. He stubbornly asked the workers to restore it to the same state as before Su Nian left, and even personally checked the order of every book on the shelves.
Ling Shen did not ask anyone for help for the bar that was smashed by the workers. Instead, he drove to buy wood, paint and tools, and polished and repaired it bit by bit in the quiet night.
Sawdust covered his expensive shirt and paint stained his fingertips, but when the bar was finally restored to its original state, he stroked the smooth wooden surface, and a long-lost warmth appeared in his eyes.
Ling Shen moved all his things to the bookstore. He began to clumsily learn to cook like Su Nian, making a mess in the kitchen, and the burnt food gave off a pungent smell; he studied the method of brewing coffee, adjusting the water temperature and extraction time again and again, just to replicate the familiar mellow aroma in his memory.
What is even more surprising is that he, who has excellent eyesight, actually wears a pair of gold-rimmed glasses without prescription. The moment he puts on the glasses, he gently strokes the frame in the mirror, as if this can bring him closer to that gentle figure.
The assistant watched Ling Shen change little by little, from being serious to occasionally smiling at the bookshelf.
But he also discovered that no matter how hard Ling Shen tried to imitate another person's life trajectory, the only thing that remained unchanged was that he could only barely get a moment of peaceful sleep in the bedroom that belonged to Su Nian.
The smoke of war in the business world never ceased, and the Jiang Group finally paid a heavy price for their former arrogance.
Under Ling Shen's precise and ruthless planning, Jiang's company was completely acquired, and the once invincible business empire was completely reduced to a shell. The top executives left in a hurry, leaving behind only a devastated mess.
However, no one knew that in this business storm that swept across the world, Ling Shen had spared Jiang Yi alone. Not only did he not hold Jiang Yi responsible, he even anonymously bought him a plane ticket to the Southern Hemisphere.
The assistant still remembered the scene of Jiang Yi being sent away that day. In the airport VIP lounge, the once high-spirited young master of the Jiang family had wrinkles on his suit and bloodshot eyes.
He looked at Ling Shen's indifferent profile and said in a hoarse voice, "I'm sorry." The sunlight shone through the French window between the two of them, as if drawing an invisible chasm.
The assistant still couldn't understand why Jiang Yi was the one to apologize when Ling Shen had clearly ruined the Jiang family. He also didn't understand why Ling Shen would let the arrogant Jiang Yi go. This didn't fit his vengeful style at all.
Only Jiang Yi and Ling Shen knew how many unknown secrets were hidden in that light "I'm sorry".
Ling Shen's willingness to let Jiang Yi leave was the greatest act of tolerance he could muster. And that long-overdue apology ultimately became the final period of their twenty-plus years of brotherhood, dissipating into the clouds ten thousand meters above the sky with the wind.
As the night deepened, Ling Shen sat alone at the bar of the bookstore, his fingertips stroking the warm coffee cup.
Neon lights flickered outside the window, the store lights glowed warm yellow, and the books stood quietly on the shelves. Everything was as beautiful as if Su Nian had never left. But only he knew that once some gaps were created, no matter how many memories and obsessions were used to fill them, it would ultimately be futile.
"Sir, you need to try on some clothes for the banquet in three days." The butler's white-gloved fingers gently rested on Su Nian's shoulders.
Su Nian stretched lazily, brushed off the dust on his body, and the silver chain behind his neck shone with tiny silver light.
His fingertips unconsciously stroked the iris pattern on the edge of the tombstone. "Hey, don't be so anxious. It's just a party. You're too nervous."
The housekeeper looked at his master who had become more and more willful and reckless since his return, and could only shake his head helplessly. The two left one after the other. The smile of the man on the tombstone remained the same, and he just looked at Su Nian quietly as he walked away.
Everyone at the manor was busy, white-gloved servants moving between the neatly trimmed boxwood hedges. In the greenhouse, a florist placed dew-soaked blue roses into crystal vases, their rich fragrance mingling with the scent of ink from the gold-foiled invitations, lingering in the air.
Lucas held the thin gold-stamped invitation in his hand, looked at the busy manor not far away, thought for a moment, picked up his phone and called Ling Shen.
"Hey, Ling." Lucas pushed his sunglasses up on his head, and the Mediterranean sunlight danced on the Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet on his wrist.
"I heard from my uncle that you have been working day and night recently. Thanks to you, I have made a lot of money." The sound of keyboard tapping came from the other end of the phone. He blinked cunningly and spoke with a hint of sarcasm.
"Lucas." Ling Shen waved his hand to signal his assistant to leave work. He took off his glasses and slowly walked to the window.
Ling Shen pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling somewhat helpless at Lucas's teasing. "Don't listen to my dad. I'm not doing this for you."
"Of course, but it's not a good idea for you to be so busy all the time. Why don't you come to my place to rest? There's a party in two days. I think you might be interested." Lucas walked in front of the French window with a glass of whiskey in his hand. The cold light of his mobile phone screen reflected the faint smile on his lips. The sound of ice cubes clinking in the crystal glass came through the radio waves.
"Lucas, you know, I'm not interested in this kind of party, you..." Before he could finish his words, Lucas interrupted him.
"No, Ling, it's settled. I'll send you the ticket." A sharp turn in the jazz saxophone music suddenly came from the background, like a deliberately created terminator of the conversation.
"Hey, Lucas..." Ling Shen looked at the ticket booking information that popped up on the phone screen. The busy tone in the receiver was like a thin needle, piercing his eardrum and hurting it.
He truly had no interest in this so-called banquet. Those gold-rimmed goblets, the deliberately suppressed political jargon, and the calculating glances hidden behind the champagne bubbles—none of these could compare to the old wicker chair on the second floor of the bookstore, where sunlight filtered through the faded curtains, weaving a gentle web across the yellowed pages.
But Lucas obviously didn't give him a chance to refuse. After thinking for a moment, Ling Shen finally decided to give himself a vacation.
At this time, Ling Shen didn't know that the decision he made would bring him unexpected gains.
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