Chapter 12: The Ten-Year Reunion (Seeking Collections)

  Ten years of life and death, two vastnesses, not thinking, yet hard to forget. A thousand miles of solitary grave, nowhere to speak of the desolation. Even if we meet again, we should not recognize each other, dust fills our faces, temples like frost.

  Last night, I had a dream and suddenly returned to my hometown. In the small window of my humble abode, she was dressing up. We looked at each other without speaking, with only tears streaming down our faces. It's clear that every year, we'll be separated in this place - on a moonlit night, by the short pines hill.

  Anyone who has studied Chinese culture knows that the above ci poem, called "Jiang Cheng Zi", was written by a great literary figure in ancient China. The organization named after the first two words of this ci poem, "Shi Nian Hui", holds an important position not only in the Chen family but also in the whole country!

  Rumor has it that the "Ten Years Society" was founded by Chen Zhihui, the third son of the Chen family's old master and Chen Li's father. At the time of its establishment, his original intention was twofold: first, to commemorate his deceased wife, just like the original author of this poem; second, to use the power of the organization to avenge his wife!

  At the age of three, Chen Lihui avenged his beloved wife with the help of the "Ten Years' Meeting" organization, but he himself died in a foreign land to cover up other brothers of the organization!

  From then on, the management rights of the "Ten Years Association" were handed over to Chen Lao's hands in a father-to-son manner. In the past twenty years, under Chen Lao's careful management, the power of the "Ten Years Association" has reached an unprecedented height. Even once, when Chen Lao inadvertently mentioned the organization he controlled to several trustworthy people around him, he gave a comment: "Ten years without appearing, the world is at peace; ten years after appearing, the world is in great chaos!" This means that the ability of the Ten Years Association has reached the point where it can directly stir up the overall situation of the world. It can be seen how vast the energy contained within the Ten Years Association is!

  In the Chen family, the members of this Ten Years Society were like an enigma. Except for Old Master Chen and Housekeeper Liu, no one else could clearly understand who these ten people with code names from Chen One to Chen Ten were. Their specific ages, appearances, identities, statuses, etc., had all become a mystery in the eyes of both the Chen family and their opposing forces. This enigma was so profound that even those involved might not be able to fully unravel it. When Chen Zhihui established the Ten Years Society, he set down a strange rule: all members were arranged according to numbers to determine their positions within the organization. Moreover, no member had the right to know the identity of any member with a higher position than themselves. In other words, Chen One could clearly understand the identities of the other nine members, but Chen Two couldn't know Chen One's identity. This continued down the line until Chen Ten, who only knew he was a part of the Ten Years Society and had no knowledge of the nine people above him.

  And this time, to ensure Chen Li's safety, even the old master Chen had to mobilize Chen Qi, who had been hidden for a long time in the "Ten Years' Meeting" organization. Is it really going to be because of Chen Li, this number one big wastrel in other people's eyes, that the world will be stirred up into a storm? If all the members of the Ten Years' Meeting were to appear one after another, would it not lead to great chaos in the world, just as old master Chen had said?

  "Sixth Uncle, don't say anything more. Even if I die, I will not leave the 'Ten Years Association'! The great enmity between my parents and Uncle Zhihui has not been avenged, how can I possibly leave the 'Ten Years Association' because of this small matter? Isn't it just to let me go protect that number one playboy who toys with women and deceives emotions everywhere? I'll do it for Uncle Zhihui's sake, and also to repay the old master for raising me for twenty years. However, if he still doesn't change his ways, ruining people's reputations everywhere and running into my hands again, then don't blame me for not being polite to him!"

  In a hotel room not far from Chen Jia's mansion, a woman in a cheongsam dress sat opposite the butler Liu Shu, her face as cold and beautiful as an iceberg, yet as lovely and enchanting as a poppy flower. As she spoke to Liu Shu, she stood up due to excessive excitement, and at this moment, her tall figure and stunning demeanor were fully revealed.

  "Xiao Qi, didn't you just say that you would look out for your Uncle Zhi Hui and protect him? How can you suddenly be so unkind to him? I'll tell you the truth, actually, Master Li has already lost his most basic abilities as a man. How could he still go around harming people like before? This Eastern family is really not shallow in their harm, they've harmed your Uncle Zhi Hui's lineage, and it's possible that they will truly be extinct!" Seeing Chen Qi's tone was still full of indignation, Butler Liu reluctantly told him the diagnosis results for Master Chen Li from Doctor Rong.

  "Ah! You're saying that Lì'er young master has even lost the ability to carry on the family line? Doesn't that mean that Zhìhuī uncle's lineage will be cut off with him?"

  Although he couldn't agree with Chen Li's previous behavior, in his heart, Chen Qi still considered him as one of his own people. So when he suddenly heard that Chen Li had suffered such a great injury, for some reason, Chen Qi felt a faint ache in his heart. Was it because of the joking words between my parents and Uncle Zhihui back then?

  Originally, Chen Qi's parents were among the earliest core members of the "Ten Years' Meeting", and their relationship with Chen Li's father, Chen Zhihui, was one that could entrust each other with their lives. So when Chen Li and Chen Qi were young, they would often joke that when Chen Li grew up, she would marry Chen Qi as her daughter-in-law. Although Chen Qi was several years older than Chen Li, Chen Zhihui had repeatedly made it clear that if Chen Li didn't object when she grew up, he would choose his sworn brother's daughter to be his daughter-in-law. However, a few years later, Chen Zhihui and Chen Qi's parents died in a foreign land for each other, leaving Chen Qi an orphan. But Chen Qi had deeply etched the words her parents had said when she was young into her heart. So when she first heard that Chen Li had suffered such great harm, her childhood memories came flooding back, causing her heart to ache secretly, and she hated the Eastern World Family even more, gritting her teeth in anger!

  "Dongfang family, Dongfang Jade, I, Chen Qi, swear to heaven that if Uncle Zhihui's lineage really ends with him, I will make sure every single person in the Dongfang family accompanies him in death!"