The old man, who had just lost his eldest son, might not be able to withstand such a second blow.
In recent years, the old man has liked to whitewash the situation. Looking at the Gong family and Mu family, he felt that if things continued this way, the Gong family could continue to exist in the elite circles, just like the major families abroad, which have existed for thousands of years and are still the most prestigious families.
But can it really be that simple? There's a black sheep causing internal strife within the family; simply pretending everything is fine won't help…
"The old man has passed away." Gong Changhong's phone rang; it was Gong Changfan calling.
Gong Changhong was startled and ran straight towards the house, saying to Gong Chengjue, "The old man is gone."
Although I knew that everything that had just happened was a final burst of energy before death and that the old man didn't have much time left, even with all the mental preparation, hearing that he had actually passed away still shocked me.
Both of them took off running towards the house.
Before even entering the old man's room, they heard Gong Changfan crying, "Father..."
"Notify everyone in the Gong family that the old master... has passed away." Gong Changhong's voice choked with emotion, but he remained lucid and instructed the butler to notify all members of the Gong family to return.
The old man passed away peacefully on the bed in the room, as if he had simply fallen asleep.
Gong Chengjue stood by the bed, expressionless.
We just said goodbye to my father, and now we have to say goodbye to my grandfather...
The Gong family lost two people in a short period of time, similar to the Su family's situation, but not entirely the same.
……………………
Su's Branch
Su Ziqing calmly held the meeting. She wasn't very interested in business, but things had come to this point, and she had no choice but to support the Su Group. She was already the chairperson.
As the person in charge, she naturally didn't have much time to stay in the capital, so today she was making arrangements to appoint the president of the branch company.
She was somewhat impressed with herself; having just been dumped, she was still able to detach herself from the relationship and hold the meeting here with a blank expression.
After an hour-long meeting, she appointed the new president and then returned to her office.
Tomorrow she will return to City A to take charge of the Su Group. Her busy business life will probably help her forget about this relationship.
She didn't sleep well last night. Her body was very tired, but her mind was wide awake. She was like a contradiction that shattered her.
She pressed the intercom and asked her secretary to make her a cup of Americano.
My phone is vibrating on my desk.
Seeing the call from Feng Xixuan, Su Ziqing took a deep breath and answered as if nothing was wrong, "Senior brother."
She was mentally prepared to be scolded by Feng Xixuan.
However……
"What does Gong Chengjue want you to go to the Gong family for?" Feng Xixuan asked.
Su Ziqing walked towards the floor-to-ceiling window and looked at her reflection in a suit. She was too young, so to intimidate the people below, she could only start with her attire.
While this look is mature, it also makes her appear a bit old.
"It's nothing." Thinking of how Gong Chengjue disliked her at the Gong family, she chuckled lightly, "I'm preparing to give Gong Chengjue a breakup fee."
"What?" Feng Xixuan was slightly taken aback.
"If there's nothing else, let's leave it at that. There's still a lot to take care of at the company." Su Ziqing just wanted to lick her wounds herself, but unfortunately it was daytime, and she didn't even have time to do so.
"Old Master Gong has passed away," Feng Xixuan said.
Su Ziqing was truly stunned. "Impossible..."
Just a few hours ago, she had a conversation with Grandpa Gong at the dinner table. Grandpa Gong also looked... well, he didn't seem like someone who was going to die.
But when she thought about how her grandfather had died so suddenly, Su Ziqing immediately realized, "Is the Gong family in chaos?"
Her thought was that Old Master Gong's death was probably not a natural one.
The Gong family's wealth empire has been the subject of much discussion in recent years, with rumors of a family division and speculation about whether the Gong family would adhere to its long-standing principle of passing the inheritance down to the eldest son.
Recently, the media has been reporting on this extensively, especially since the youngest son of Mr. Gong has become the heir, leading to a variety of speculations.
If Gong Changzhou's flight hadn't been an accident, there would probably have been rumors that the Gong family dragged innocent people into the fight for inheritance, resulting in their deaths.
Consider that even a powerful family like the Su family is just an ordinary family compared to the prestigious Gong family. If they would act this way over money, then the Gong family, a truly renowned family, must be even more powerful...
It's no wonder that Su Ziqing would think in an abnormal way.
"Didn't you go to the Gong family and not see Old Master Gong?" Feng Xixuan found Su Ziqing's reaction a bit strange.
Su Ziqing bit her lip, "When I saw Old Master Gong, he was still very healthy..." Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly remembered that the expressions of the Gong family members present at the time seemed very heavy.
Wait! Could it be that back then, Old Master Gong was already... experiencing a final burst of lucidity before death? The words "a final burst of lucidity" popped into Su Ziqing's mind at that very moment, and she stood there stunned.
No wonder, no wonder the old man who had been hospitalized returned to the Gong family.
No wonder there was a large meal on the Gong family's table even though it was past mealtime.
No wonder Gong Chengjue and his two uncles looked so depressed.
No wonder the old man called her to the Gong family; he was giving his final instructions.
Su Ziqing then realized that what she had thought was wrong was actually true: before his death, the old man had instructed her about her engagement to Gong Chengjue...
However, Gong Chengjue refused and showed the old man that he had chosen to give up on her.
"The Gong family is about to fall into chaos," Feng Xixuan said calmly.
Throughout history, whether it was a powerful clan or any other group, whether domestic or foreign, this period has always been the most chaotic.
Not to mention that the time between the succession of the Gong family heir and the handover was too short.
Su Ziqing chuckled softly, "No wonder Gong Chengjue wanted to break up... Senior brother, he disliked that I couldn't help him."
“He dares to look down on you?” Feng Xixuan sneered upon hearing this. “What right does he have to look down on you?”
"I come from a small city, how could I possibly have the help of a noble lady from the capital?" At this juncture, it's understandable that Gong Chengjue's reason prevailed over his emotions, but it's really hard not to laugh.
“As expected, the rumors weren’t unfounded,” Feng Xixuan said. “Someone like Gong Chengjue is not good enough for you.”
"But... I'm so sad." She could pretend to be strong, but she couldn't pretend to be indifferent.
She couldn't deceive herself; she loved Gong Chengjue.
…………………
Gong family
The old man passed away, and the funeral arrangements were complicated, including the location and time of the memorial service and the invitation of guests. These were all important matters.
Old Master Gong has been a prominent figure in the business world all his life, and there will surely be many people coming to pay their respects. To ensure the Gong family's reputation is upheld, there can be absolutely no mishaps.
Logically, the eldest son should be in charge of these matters, and since he's not here, it should be the second son, but...
The current head of the Gong family is Gong Changfan.
"The reason why the Gong family has been able to stand firm is because of its strict family rules and clear distinction between elders and juniors!" Gong Changming once again overturned the decision made by Gong Changfan.
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