Chapter 10 (Final Chapter): Time Smuggled Away, the River of Time Never Ends
Thirty years is but a fleeting moment in the long river of history, but for an individual and a family, it is enough to leave the deepest imprint.
Wang Yi's 90th birthday celebration was not a grand affair; it was simply held in her own garden villa, gathering her closest family members. She sat in a wheelchair, covered with a soft wool blanket, her silver hair meticulously combed. Though her face bore the marks of time, her eyes remained clear, only now brimming with a worldly wisdom and serenity. Her three daughters, sons-in-law (or partners), grandchildren, and even several great-grandchildren who had just learned to walk surrounded her, their laughter and chatter filling the air with vibrant life.
Li Shimin sat in the chair beside her. In his seventies, his back was still straight, though his hair was now gray. The deep nasolabial folds and the lines around his eyes silently told of thirty years of painstaking effort and the vicissitudes of life. But sitting there, he naturally exuded an aura of steadfastness, only now that aura had been tempered with more gentleness and kindness.
He watched Wang Yi being amused by his grandchildren, and a slight smile involuntarily crept onto his lips. For over thirty years, he had fulfilled every promise he had made. He had led the "Yihua Group" from a company worth tens of billions to one of the world's top 50, transforming it into a business giant spanning multiple sectors. He had cleared all obstacles, paving the most solid path for his daughters. His eldest daughter, Li Lizhi, was already an internationally renowned music master, enjoying a happy family life with two children. His second daughter, Li Shuyao, had achieved remarkable success in the realm of mathematics, living a simple yet fulfilling life with a like-minded partner. His third daughter, Li Qingyun, had smoothly taken over the reins of the group from him ten years ago, leading this giant ship forward with talent and vision no less than her mother's. She and her equally capable business partner, though not engaged, shared a deeper understanding and trust than marriage, raising a pair of intelligent and adorable twins together and planning ahead for the next generation's succession.
Like a truly ancient and resilient tree, he used his wisdom, strength, and unconditional protection to create a vast and peaceful haven for this family that began with a bizarre encounter.
Thirty years of mutual support between him and Wang Yi had long since blurred the initial motives mixed with calculation and exploitation, leaving behind a deep-rooted kinship, a bond forged in shared battles, and a love that transcended time and space, penetrating to the very core of their being. If the initial encounter was a gamble for Wang Yi, then her thirty years of companionship and devotion had won this man's unconditional sincerity. As for Li Shimin, a thousand years ago, amidst the fragrance of herbs in Qixia Garden and the twilight of Liangyi Palace, his lonely imperial heart had already stirred for her. Now, it was only through thirty modern years that that profound love had been carefully polished into the warmth and tacit understanding of daily life.
Not long after the birthday banquet, Wang Yi's health deteriorated rapidly, like a candle flickering in the wind. In her final moments, she insisted on staying at home, in a place where she could see the garden and her family. Li Shimin stayed by her side almost every step of the way, personally feeding her water and wiping her body. When she was in slightly better spirits, he would talk to her about the past or quietly hold her hand, as if trying to etch the warmth of their palms into eternity.
That day, the sunlight was exceptionally bright, streaming into the room through the French windows. Wang Yi suddenly felt much better, her eyes shining with an astonishing light. She dismissed everyone except Li Shimin.
She struggled to raise her thin hand, and Li Shimin quickly grasped it.
“Shimin…” Her voice was soft, yet exceptionally clear, like a sigh, “These thirty years… I stole them. From God, from history… I stole them.”
Li Shimin's eyes welled up with tears, and he gripped her hand tightly without saying a word.
“I have never regretted… going to ‘borrow’ you back then.” Wang Yi looked at him, her eyes filled with undisguised love and gratitude. “I also have no regrets… bringing you back. You gave Lizhi, Shuyao, Qingyun… the best father, and you gave me… the best thirty years.”
She caught her breath and continued, "I have to go... I can't stay with you anymore. You have to help me... keep watching over them, watching over their children... promise me."
"I promise you." Li Shimin's voice was hoarse but firm, just like the promise he made in the Liangyi Hall back then.
A smile, almost girlish and filled with boundless longing, appeared on Wang Yi's face, a smile that dispelled the shadow of death: "On the Bridge of Helplessness... I will wait for you. It doesn't matter how long I wait... In the next life, let's not be emperors, let's not be CEOs... let's just be an ordinary couple... okay?"
Tears finally streamed down Li Shimin's face, dripping onto their clasped hands. "Alright," he choked out, nodding with utmost solemnity, "In the next life, I will definitely find you. To be an ordinary couple, growing old together."
Wang Yi closed her eyes contentedly, a gentle smile on her lips, as if she were sinking into a beautiful dream where he was waiting. Her hand, in Li Shimin's palm, slowly lost its warmth.
Wang Yi's departure took away the most tender and resilient essence of this family, and also the most important other half in Li Shimin's life. But he did not collapse. He suppressed his grief and, with astonishing perseverance, presided over the funeral and comforted his heartbroken daughters and grandchildren. He transformed his promise to Wang Yi into a deeper and more enduring protection. He no longer interfered too much in the company's affairs, but remained his daughters' strongest support and wisest advisor. He witnessed Li Qingyun lead the company to new heights, witnessed his grandchildren's growth, education, and career establishment, and even witnessed the birth of his great-grandchildren.
Time seemed to pass both swiftly and slowly for this old man who had lived through two worlds and whose spirit was already extraordinary. He had walked alone for more than ten years, gradually approaching ninety. His body was inevitably decaying, but his eyes remained clear and deep, as if containing the galaxy of two worlds.
It was another sunny afternoon. Li Shimin lay on a recliner in the garden, a light blanket covering him. In the courtyard, Li Qingyun's daughter (the young heir to her mother's company) was leading her toddler, who had just learned to walk, as they toddled across the lawn, their silvery laughter carried on the breeze. Not far away, Li Lizhi's son (a young musician with some renown) was playing a soothing piano piece for his family. Li Shuyao's companion (a quiet scholar) read in the shade of a tree, occasionally glancing up to observe everything with gentle eyes.
His family members surrounded him, speaking softly and with concern on their faces.
Li Shimin's gaze slowly swept over each familiar face, from the weathered yet resolute faces of his daughters, to the mature and steady figures of his grandchildren, and then to the innocent and childlike faces of his great-grandchildren. A gentle, contented smile slowly spread across his lips.
He saw the proud yet gentle look in Lizhi's eyes, the scholarly air emanating from Shuyao's calm demeanor, and the decisiveness and sense of responsibility in Qingyun's brows that were exactly the same as Wang Yi's in his youth. He saw this vast, deeply rooted family flourishing and thriving on the foundation he and Wang Yi had laid together.
Wang Yi, can you see? Our daughters are all doing well. Their children are doing well too.
I kept my promise.
He felt a deep weariness wash over him, not pain, but a sense of relief that came from having completed all his missions and could now safely lay down all his burdens. His vision began to blur, and the music and laughter around him gradually faded away, as if separated by a warm lake.
He slowly closed his eyes.
In the last moment before his consciousness sank into darkness, he seemed to see again the late spring of the twenty-third year of the Zhenguan era, the medicinal fragrance permeating the Liangyi Hall, and the fleeting glimmer in the depths of Wang Yi's calm eyes as the pale blue halo rose.
Then came the countless moments they shared over the past thirty years: working side by side in the study, strolling hand in hand in the garden, their hands clasped tightly at her bedside, and her final words filled with boundless hope, "In the next life"...
This time, there was no pale blue halo, and no shift in time and space.
His breath, like a candle that has burned out, quietly ceased. A peaceful and contented smile remained fixed on his face.
In the garden, melodious piano music filled the air, children laughed and played, and the sun shone brightly.
A legendary soul who spanned a thousand years, stirred up the winds and clouds of two worlds, and ultimately poured all his heart and soul into his family and the protection he had given, finally found eternal peace in the modern world he had helped build, a world full of love and vitality.
He has truly left.
They left behind a vast and stable business empire, a deeply rooted family, a legendary guardianship that will be forever remembered by their loved ones, and a promise about the "next life," perhaps quietly brewing in some other time and space.
Time may slip by, but it will eventually come to an end; yet love and protection flow on like a never-ending river.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com