Chapter 4: The Worthless Trial

  Spark, the turbulent and rolling spark, like a ferocious demon's fangs, ravaged and swallowed the surrounding oxygen, and like a poisonous snake from hell, spewed out a smokescreen that corroded the soul, suffocating, terrifying, and annihilating everything around.

  Long Bu was drinking strong liquor, his lips and teeth spitting out a specially-made smoke, under the flickering firelight, an eerie evilness revealed itself on his handsome face without any cover. He grasped a manuscript in his hand, staring coldly at Jing Er who was standing opposite him, shivering with fear. From between his teeth, he squeezed out dry and harsh words: "I'm 22 years old this year, at most I still have eight years to live, what I do is my own business, what's it got to do with you? What right do you have to control me?"

  Jing'er's tears flowed uncontrollably, she didn't dare to look at Longbiao's face, she knew it must be extremely ugly. She would rather only stare at the flames that were wildly burning in front of her on this desolate land under the dead silent night sky. She desperately controlled herself from thinking about what Longbiao had said, she knew those words would destroy all her beautiful memories. She would rather find another reason for the current Longbiao, or find another explanation for what Longbiao did in front of her.

  Flames soared, scorching temperatures burning the skin, yet the body was gradually losing its heat in the dance of the flames. Wave after wave of icy coldness attacked on this night in this mountain valley, not because there was any wind or rain blowing through the thin clothing that kept warm, but just a windless and rainless night, yet the coldness invaded like a cold wind and rain. Jing'er felt her whole body as if it were in an ice cave, and under the merciless gaze of the dragon furnace opposite, she was even more naked, making the coldness all the more unstoppable and inescapable.

  It's a sinful night, a wrong sinful night, and even more so it's a night that shouldn't have happened. Such nights are completely unable to save the beloved who has fallen into hell, but how can the increasingly evil loss of the beloved not make one anxious to save them?

  "Speak!" Long Bao angrily threw the manuscript in his hand into the fire and scolded Jing'er fiercely, "You've been forcing me to do so many things these past two days, what's your true intention?"

  What's on your mind? What's on your mind? Jing Er is so sad that she can't help it, why do you have to say such things to the one you love?

  Staring at Jing'er's desolate face, listening to Jing'er's sorrowful words in his ears, Long Biao clenched his teeth tightly, his teeth chattering with a crisp sound. This sound blended with the crackling of the flames and the faint rustling of leaves, forming a dark night melody that flowed quietly and bleakly through this space.

  Three days ago, Jing'er found herself and asked herself to put down all her affairs and accompany her to several places. She agreed inexplicably, and as a result, on the first day, they went to a people's hospital, a cancer hospital, and a psychiatric hospital. At the people's hospital, she saw patients with fractures and severe burns covering over 80% of their bodies. Some were chatting and laughing with their accompanying family members, while others were crying out in pain, calling for their parents. At the cancer hospital, she saw patients with cancer, many of whom had only a few months left to live. Their families were deeply grieved but taking good care of them. The patients showed various reactions: some were terrified of death and cried, while others were optimistic, believing they could overcome cancer with willpower. Some were calm and quietly waiting for death. At the psychiatric hospital, she observed the demeanor of patients with schizophrenia and listened to doctors introducing symptoms of schizophrenia, pointing out individual patients and explaining that this was compulsive delusional disorder, this was typical consciousness fragmentation...

  The hospital is a place where human physical pain and suffering are concentrated, and it is also a platform for humans to show their attitude towards life. Long Bao is familiar with everything in the hospital. He has stayed in the hospital twice, bid farewell to his grandfather, Qian Lao, and others in the hospital, and he has also recovered from his physical illness in the hospital. Long Bao remembers a doctor saying in his ear: "I have been a doctor for 30 years, I don't know how many people I have seen die, in front of God, life is completely fragile, medical technology is just a means to fight against fragility, if it can't fight against the disease, then people will die..."

  The spark of fire flickered, the flickering sparks were like the once vibrant lives, Long Biao looked at the fire in a daze and muttered: "All cursed by heaven, cursed the fragility of life..."

  Jing'er, who was secretly injured, heard this and suddenly felt a thrill of joy in her heart. She hurriedly said softly: "Yes, life is fragile, all lives must face the fragility of life with an attitude towards life itself."

  No! That's wrong! Why do hospitals have to make patients pay for treatment? Weren't those two cancer patients stopped from receiving medication and kicked out of the hospital because they had no money? Hospitals selling medicine at exorbitant prices, doctors accepting red envelopes are all well-known facts. Only with money can life have the right to be treated, this is simply a transaction!

  "Don't anyone dare to lecture me on the grand principles of saving lives and helping the wounded!" Long Biao said with disgust. "Life is forever treated as a fragile thing, measured by economic standards! Who in this world isn't like that?"

  Long Bao's eyes turned ferocious again, and he roared at Jing'er in indignation: "This world is fundamentally a world of interests! Life is subservient to survival, living is subservient to needs, society is subservient to power! Between countries, between companies, it's all just about interests! What attitude towards life? Don't give me that nonsense!"

  Jing'er was indeed pierced by Long Bao's words, but she still persisted in speaking softly: "The world is not just black darkness, it also has light. Isn't that right? I know there are many dark elements in your environment, but if you observe carefully, you will see that there is still a lot of light around you..."

  Hope? Zhi'er had whispered to herself in the old people's home, yes, it was in the corridor of the old people's home that she whispered to herself: "Many of these young people who take care of the elderly are volunteers who have come forward. They sacrifice their own holidays to take care of these elderly people without any pay, and they don't even know them. But the way they care for the elderly in this home, the way they give themselves, is evident in everything they say and do. Is this not a glimmer of hope in human nature?

  The flame looked crystal clear, casting a bright red glow on the dark valley, and illuminating Jing'er's beautiful face with a radiant color. Long Biao suddenly felt an urge to hold this radiant color in his arms. Jing'er's eyes shone with infinite warmth and tenderness, and Long Biao's chest thumped wildly as he involuntarily walked towards her. Jing'er's pupils were clear and shining, and that light should be the jumping flame. The flame was jumping in Jing'er's clear pupils, and it was also burning in this dark valley.

  Long Bao slowly held the excited Jing'er in his arms, with his eyes closed, feeling this beautiful tenderness and clear radiance. Jing'er's unstoppable tears wetted Long Bao's broad chest, she desperately hoped that time would stop at this moment, just stop at this moment...

  Suddenly a gust of wind blew by, blowing the leaves in the darkness into a rustling sound. Long Bao suddenly opened his eyes, and all he saw was darkness and confusion everywhere. He roughly pushed aside Jing Er, who was immersed in happiness, and let out a wolf-like howl: "Why do so many people not support their parents and abandon them to old age homes? Why does my ruthlessness make me stronger in business? Why do I get applause for expanding my business by any means necessary? Why do I have to use coercion and temptation to make my subordinates obey? Why did I want to do something good for my hometown but got misunderstood instead? Now that they've dug up all the gold and destroyed Bear Mountain, they have no more gains to be made, so they come begging to me, making me out to be a saint. What is this? Everything they do is for their own benefit!

  "Why is this world full of conspiracies, betrayals, deceptions, harm and wars? I'll tell you! Humans have always been despicable! What's the glory of human nature? It's just a temporary impulse, ultimately they all succumb to the feet of interest!"

  "The world is being manipulated by interests! Heaven is manipulating this crappy world with interests!" Long Bao's forehead burst with anger, looking up at the endless darkness above his head, roaring in rage, "What are you? You thieving heaven! Are you pleased to be manipulating the world? Watching all these games, are you feeling great pleasure? What are you? You thieving heaven! I'll pierce through your heavenly hole!"

  He let out a wild howl, like a wounded beast, waving his arms up and down as if grasping a divine sword to pierce the hypocritical cloak of heaven, to split open the unbearable darkness. Suddenly he dropped to his knees with a thud, raised his fists and pounded the ground with all his might, as if wanting to shatter the earth into pieces, as if only this could vent the anger that had been building up for decades, centuries, millennia, tens of thousands of years!

  "Why! Why! Why?"

  "He wildly vented his pent-up depression, 'Damn heaven! Damn hell! If you created the world, why do you make it so dark?! You're forcing me! You're forcing me to have **! You're forcing me to be obsessed with **! You're forcing me to enjoy ** so much!'"

  "From what you've described, he has a very hidden obsessive-compulsive disorder, which is likely caused by his personal experiences and background. Miss Su, for the patient to recover, they must put down all their affairs, calm their mind and focus on treatment; otherwise, it will only get worse." These words from a psychology expert flashed through Jing'er's mind as she looked at Long Bao, who was furious like a beast. Her heart was shattered, but she completely forgave Long Bao's behavior from the bottom of her heart. She knew that she absolutely couldn't be distracted now. After Long Bao stopped hitting, she endured the pain and slowly squatted down, holding Long Bao's bloody hand in her arms, and said softly: "People living in the world need to wear clothes, eat, sleep, work... how can people not have needs? We are life, and all lives have needs. Things without life don't have needs. This need is basic survival, it comes from our genes."

  She wholeheartedly adored this suffering big boy, holding his injured hand tightly against her soft chest, and gently said: "Genes are our instinctual masters, the source of our instincts. We always fall into endless troubles because of these instincts, frequently falling into predicaments..."

  He stiffly pulled his hand out of Jing'er's warm embrace, and stiffly said: "This, I understand more than you do. With Li Heng producing so many products, which one isn't made to cater to and develop the market's instinctual needs? I also had a three-year agreement with Jiao Siwei, and I know I thoroughly failed in that agreement. Before, I was just eating, drinking, playing, but now I'm completely obsessed with reaching the satisfaction it brings me." He gazed at the burning flames in front of him with a tired and dismal expression, continuing to say: "For someone who possesses great power, their desires are no longer just simple survival needs. Their desires will be endlessly developed, and they can't escape, destined to sink in. This is the instinct of genes, I've restrained myself before, but it's too hard, so I chose to obey."

  Jing'er's heart surged with a thousand tender emotions, she gently leaned against Long Bao's arm and said: "I know that genes control us through our feelings of satisfaction, pain and joy. It is cunning and we face great temptation, diverse and lasting, as long as we are alive, each of us must struggle with the instincts of our genes."

  "Don't talk to me about struggle, you know nothing about it, you don't even know how hard it is! How many struggles have I gone through all these years? In just four short years, I've made the dream of Qian Lao's transnational group a reality. Would I have achieved this without those struggles?

  Long Bao grabbed the wine bottle at his feet and took several big gulps, then slammed the bottle to the ground, speaking in a very melancholic tone, "When I think about it, I should thank you for those two books you gave me back then. The insights from those books are what made me victorious in countless battles. Struggling with others is easy, it's just a chemical reaction, but struggling with oneself is too difficult. I've tried self-control before, but it's an unbearable torture!"

  "Actually, we're not just machines that only execute our genetic programs, nor are we animals that only follow instinctual needs. Genes don't just give us primitive animal instincts; they also give us willpower, allowing us to consciously control our behavior and transcend our primal instincts. The struggle for self-control torments all of humanity; it's a battle we've been fighting since birth. You used to do it well, didn't you?"

  Long Bao gazed at Jing Er with a strange look, then lowered his head to watch the flames and said: "This struggle is too hard, in the past days it was not humanly possible, so I surrendered. Now I smoke the best cigarettes, drink the best wine, drive the best cars, live in the best houses, have the best bodyguards, socialize with people of the highest status, play the most thrilling games, and control the fate of thousands or even tens of thousands of people. I've reached all the goals that everyone yearns for, got everything they desperately pursue, and released my suppressed instincts. It feels great, I'm really enjoying it."

  As soon as Long Bao mentioned other women, Jing Er's heart suddenly ached violently. She remembered that she still had an important task to complete today, which was something she couldn't avoid doing. However, for now, she first needed to adjust Long Bao's mindset. So, she calmly said: "A person's life is spent constantly searching and exploring, everyone has moments of confusion. When I say self-control, it doesn't mean completely giving up desires. You also can't use your greed as an excuse to find a way out. The meaning of self-control is that we need to find the source of various things, properly channeling the emotions that affect us every day, and prevent these instincts from controlling us like slaves. By understanding ourselves and restraining ourselves, we can find the key to victory. Only then can we become our own masters."

  Jing Er's voice, Jing Er's body temperature, and Jing Er's gaze all made Long Bao involuntarily shudder at this moment. He said in an abnormal tone: "Genes are selfish, I've never believed in self-restraint control since I took over the group. Genes only fear systems, so I've been satisfying employees' desires while also using systems to restrain their selfishness. In my eyes, in the environment around me, it's a wall that can't be crossed. Everyone is selfish and thinks they are the center of this world because they still have expectations for the future, so they need to control. But I only have a few years left to live, after which this world will no longer have any meaning to me. Do I need to self-control?"

  No matter what logic or reason Long Bao uses, Jing Er believes that as long as Long Bao is willing to talk to her, it means he is actually looking for an excuse for his own downfall. Jing Er knows what Long Bao is escaping from and what he fears, and she believes she can persuade him to take medication to stabilize his emotions. She patiently advises Long Bao that everything has two sides, human nature has no absolute selfishness or selflessness, and one should not only see the ugliness in human nature but also its greatness. The world is also a coexistence of darkness and light, and it is precisely this struggle between light and darkness that has led to the development of the world. One must look at things dialectically, with an inclusive mindset, and not simply regard cunning schemes as panaceas. Being overly calculating is not necessarily a good thing; one should know that there are always stronger forces at play.

  Long Bao gradually calmed down, staring at the flames in a daze, and many words from Grandpa Qi, Old Man De, Old Man Qian, and Old Man Su flashed through his mind. Indeed, selfishness is human nature, but that doesn't make it wrong. He shouldn't generalize the darkness he saw in high society to the entire world's population; there were still many kind people out there.

  Jing'er's hair fluttered to his cheek, tickling and sweetly, a peaceful and real happiness began to flow through his veins as he gazed at Jing'er, gazing at her beautiful clear eyes, and suddenly spoke in an old man's tone with some sadness: "In this competitive world, only lions and foxes can survive best. For ordinary people, they are just rabbits and lambs, although they have mediocre happiness, but they are ruled by lions and deceived by foxes. Niece, Nietzsche said 'Let the devil on your body grow up, it may be a great way for you!' If I didn't do that, Li Heng would have collapsed long ago, and I would have been squeezed out of the circle!"

  Jing'er gently rested her head on Long Bao's shoulder and softly said: "The lion can't beat the infant, Nietzsche also said 'Why does the brave and plundering lion still need to become an infant?', Bao, you're like a wanderer in the world, unable to find the spiritual endpoint and direction in the game of creation. You must know that life ultimately needs a sacred affirmation, this affirmation is that your spirit has its own will, only then can you, a wanderer in the world, return to your own world!"

  "But the creator is heartless, and this world is even more sorrowful. The simple happiness of ordinary people is just a stepping stone for the hypocrisy of high society. Ordinary people are forgetful because of their own ignorance and incompetence, which makes them feel happy in life. And I have become so complicated that I cannot stop my crazy rotation," Long Bao suddenly shed tears, quietly shedding tears. "I can't go back to being an infant, seeing those infants in the orphanage, all I can do is envy."

  Jing'er felt the great sorrow of Long Bao, she deeply empathized with Long Bao's pain in this lost state, and couldn't help but say: "The creator's ruthlessness, the lion's sorrow, the helpless infant, alas, if heaven has feelings, heaven will also grow old."

  Heartless sky, heartless sky, a gust of wind blows by, Jing'er shivered and felt a chill. She was brought here to this mountain valley today by Long Bao, who was furious and had dragged her away from headquarters. Long Bao scolded himself for telling Qiu Ya about their past. Ever since Qiu Ya severely reprimanded him for being heartless and unrighteous a week ago, she had returned home and stayed in bed, not speaking to anyone. Three days ago, she started refusing food and water. If anything happened to Qiu Ya, who would be responsible? According to the secret protection team's eavesdropping on Chang Cheng, he was planning to take revenge on him. Wasn't this just another reason for him to start fighting again?

  "Is it cold?" Long Bao carefully wrapped Jing'er in his arms and asked, Jing'er almost cried out loud, hurriedly shook her head but then nodded vigorously.

  Long Bao loves himself, but his love is crazy and strange, as deep as the sea yet sealed by rocks like petroleum. This love is indeed like petroleum, black and thick, yet containing infinite energy. From the moment it ignites, it never extinguishes, but such burning also pollutes the pure and clean sky of love. His love is not a clear blue sky or gentle spring breeze, nor is it severe frost or white snow. His love is petroleum, black petroleum that brings life to the entire world.

  He's so ruthless, thinking that by doing those things he can break the curse... "Are you trying to follow in your grandfather's footsteps and try to break the curse again? You're not even worthy of yourself, do you have the qualifications?" He threw the cigarette butt in his hand into the fire pit, pointing at his own face, laughing wildly, "Today I will completely dispel your thoughts, these things were left to me by my grandfather, I'll burn them and you'll give up, and the world will be at peace!" ... He actually burned all the wisdom and essence that had been passed down from his grandfather and the sect for hundreds of years with one fire... From now on, only a little bit is left in that box... Grandfather, grandfather, did you know he would definitely burn these things? Otherwise, why would you often mutter to yourself saying everything has an end, everything is nothing, but nothing is something, what's the point of being so stubborn? ... Grandfather, what are you trying to tell us...

  Long Bao felt Jing'er trembling in his arms, so he hastily wrapped her tightly in his embrace. However, Jing'er began to sob uncontrollably. Seeing the flames before him had dwindled, Long Bao thought of adding more fuel to make the fire bigger. Just as he reached into the large package to grab a handful of paper to throw into the fire, he suddenly froze!

  Heavens! This is the manuscript that Jing'er's grandfather had given to him! How could he have burned it?! He suddenly understood why Jing'er was trembling, originally Jing'er's trembling wasn't because of the cold but because of a chill in her heart!

  His hand froze in mid-air, his body also froze. I really am mentally ill! I really am mentally ill! No wonder I can understand the mental activities of those mentally ill people in the psychiatric hospital so clearly! No wonder Jing'er wants to take me to a psychiatric hospital!

  Jing'er sensed Long Bao's thoughts and quickly used her hands to stroke his chest and arm, saying: "Grandfather said that these things were originally meant for you to burn. He said that only by doing so would you not worry about me." She took the manuscripts from Long Bao's hand, suppressing the pain in her heart as she threw them into the fire. Looking at Long Bao's face, she continued: "Bao, rest assured, I won't go against your and Grandfather's wishes to learn those mysterious things. Gains and losses are natural, and the heart will not be harmed by their increase or decrease. The curse will also be natural, okay?"

  A sharp pain, like a lightning bolt, struck Longwang's body. He cried out to the heavens in endless sorrow: "Heavenly sky, why did you give birth to me only not to love me? You made me rich and supreme, yet you didn't let me become a normal person! I don't want anything; I just want to be a lamb, just want to be an infant!"

  Jing'er used all her strength to hold onto the kneeling Long Bao, and sobbed softly: "Okay, okay, we'll be lambs, we'll be babies, we don't want anything, we don't want anything, just be lambs, just be babies, just be lambs, just be babies......"

  Long Bao gradually calmed down and muttered to himself: "Lamb? Baby? How can it be that easy, thinking is doing?"

  Jing'er realized Long Bao's weakness at this time, so she changed the subject to the orphanage. She explained the suffering of orphans and with great courage persuaded Long Bao that since he already had a child with Ouyang, he should take in Ouyang for the sake of the child in her womb. Let the child be born, no matter what, the child is also a life, the descendant of the Long family.

  Long Bao simply regarded Ouyang as a tool for his desires at the time, and he did not expect that Ouyang would use despicable means to become pregnant with a child. He originally would not have allowed Ouyang to give birth to this child, and he even prepared to send someone to abort the child in Ouyang's womb. However, facing Jing Er's persuasion, he was both angry and helpless, but Jing Er's gentle love moved him, and he felt that he was indeed confused about his emotions, so he agreed to Jing Er's request to take in Ouyang, and he would also calm his mind by taking medicine.

  Although Long Bao agreed with himself, Jing Er felt that there was still a huge obstacle in his heart. To truly rescue Long Bao, it would take a two-pronged approach: first, he must find another opportunity to persuade Long Bao to undergo surgical treatment; second, targeted psychological treatment was necessary, because Long Bao's psychology could only be open to her, so only she could undertake this task.

  Actually, Jing'er herself was also extremely hurt and self-blaming. She felt that she should not have indulged Longbiao and Qiuya in the first place. If she had been more resolute in accompanying Longbiao back then, perhaps none of this would have happened. However, now that things have come to this point, Ouyang and Longbiao already have a child together, which is completely different from her relationship with Qiuya. In order not to let Longbiao fall into emotional conflict again, she decided to only be spiritual friends with him, allowing Longbiao to be at peace with Ouyang and raise their child together. She took the initiative to burn all of Grandpa's manuscripts, letting Longbiao completely put his mind at ease and letting go of the curse.

  Jing'er then left Long Bao, focusing on studying literary psychology and Buddhism, trying to find a cure for Long Bao's wounded heart. She kept in touch with Long Bao, and after Jing'er's persuasion, Long Bao finally calmed down, reluctantly accepting Jing'er's arrangement, which was to let everything go with the flow.

  Du Ci was not someone to be trifled with, she found those suspicious objects and caught the evidence of Shi Wei's betrayal, Shi Wei was immediately kicked out of the house by Du Ci. With nowhere to go, he accepted Hai Juan's suggestion and rented a room nearby, while reading MBA, he also wrote a letter of apology to Du Ci.

  Ouyang Ruoxi moved into Long Bao's villa, and the two of them stayed together. The scandal about Long Bao being a virgin also died down, and people began to laugh at him for it. Long Bao seemed to have returned to normal, managing his company, attending necessary social events, chatting with Yuer online, occasionally having dinner with Ouyang, and living a simple life without visiting those luxurious places again. He even took his medication on time every day. He also started joking around with Shi Wei, telling him to study hard for his MBA so he could be the CEO of one of his companies in the future. However, Shi Wei was also annoying, always asking Long Bao to take him hunting.

  Xue Bingying is living a new life as a new human being. She doesn't believe in love or marriage, and she's enjoying her life to the fullest.

  Jiao Siwei took the initiative to find Long Bao and said that the agreement was cancelled. Long Bao asked her why, and she surprisingly shed tears saying that she hoped Long Bao and Ouyang would live a happy life.

  Long Bao heard that Qiu Ya had also recovered her calm, and was spending time with her family every day, becoming a filial daughter. Chang Cheng often came in and out of Qiu Ya's house, but he didn't mention anything about revenge again. Qiu Ya also reconnected with Du Ci.

  Everything has become calm, as if everything had become calm.