Chapter Three: The Choice

  Watching Jing'er's pale face and her body trembling with cold, she walked out of the room step by step and closed the door for him. At the moment when the door was closed, Jing'er used all her courage and perseverance to say "good night". Long Biao's heart was like a knife cut, he was extremely furious in his heart and shouted "Jing'er, don't go, don't go! Stay with me, I want you to stay with me!"

  Long Bao yearned to hold Jing'er in his arms once more, craving to infuse this tenderness into the wounded soul. He felt how fragile he was at this moment, and how life couldn't bear such weight...

  I want to do so, but I can't, absolutely can't!

  I can no longer bring disaster of death to my loved one.

  I can no longer have friends, I am not worthy of friendship; I can no longer have people who love me and those I love, I am not worthy of love; even I will no longer have enemies, because I have become guilty of even having hatred! I am a cursed monster, I am the devil, whoever gets close to me will die!

  Stunned, numb, Longyan desperately stared at the pale white wall like a dead fish belly in the swirling green smoke, staring at the quiet night sky outside the window, the quiet stars.

  Emotions are so contradictory, contradictory to the point of not knowing how to face them. If life is cursed by heaven, then the true recipient of the curse is not the length or shortness of life, but the emotions of life, and the mark left on the soul by emotions.

  At least Long Bao thinks so.

  Long Bao didn't sleep all night. He opened his eyes to see the sky starting to lighten and got out of bed. Today, he wanted to stay by Qian Lao's body and say some words from his heart to him again.

  Long Bao and Kang Dingzhuang came to Jing'er's grandfather's room, where Jing'er's grandfather sat on the couch, looking at Long Bao with a serious expression.

  Long Bao glanced at Jing'er, who was sitting on the bedhead with tears streaming down her face. The intense guilt and sadness surged up in his heart again, but he quickly calmed down and politely said to Jing'er's grandfather: "Old Su, I heard you're leaving today?"

  Jing Er's grandfather nodded slightly, without answering, his eyes gleaming with a hint of blame as he looked at Long Bao.

  Long Bao tried to maintain a polite expression, saying: "Today I have to set up Qian Lao's funeral hall, and now I have to go to the hospital, so I won't be able to see you off. Wishing you a smooth journey!" After that, he bowed deeply to Jing Er's grandfather and turned to leave.

  "Wait!" Jing Er's grandfather suddenly called out to Long Bao, his voice very serious. "I want to tell you something."

  Long Bao had no choice but to stand still, casting his eyes on Jing Er's grandfather's shoes.

  Grandpa Jing looked up and down at Longbiao several times, and slowly said: "A person living in the world, if they haven't experienced any hardships, haven't felt any pain, and haven't been hit by setbacks, then that person is as good as dead. Wa, without these things, a person can't grow up."

  Long Bao nodded slightly.

  "Everyone's tribulations are different, their experiences are different, and their thoughts are also different. People take different paths, so their destinies are also different. I've seen countless people, but never two who were exactly alike. So don't think your fate is especially strange or painful, and become trapped in it."

  Long Bao nodded again.

  "Grandfather Jing said slowly: 'It's not scary to have a lifetime of hardships, nor is it scary to get lost on the wrong path. What's scary is that someone tries to enlighten you, warn you and help you, but you still refuse to wake up, then you'll be doomed to suffer!'

  Long Wan's body slightly trembled.

  "A person's life, many times thinks that the decisions they make are very correct, but doesn't know that their decisions are actually ignorant and laughable," Jing Er's grandfather looked at him and Jing Er for a long time, then slowly said: "Child, the way of morality, human relationships, and heavenly principles are endless and subtle, difficult to grasp. When it comes to this point, the road is yours, you're responsible for how you walk it!"

  Grandfather Jing stared deeply at Long Bao, Long Bao nodded heavily, he didn't look at Jing but knew she was tearfully staring at him.

  At this moment, Jing Er's grandfather suddenly stood up and walked forward, patted Long Bao's shoulder, and Long Bao immediately felt numb all over his body, his mind went blank, and he involuntarily softened. Kang Ding Zhuang stretched out his hand just in time to support him and asked Jing Er's grandfather tensely: "Su Lao, what's going on?"

  Jing Er's grandfather let out a soft sigh and said, "Xiao Kang, you say this kid has such a stubborn temper, can I get close to him?"

  Kangding Village's words about Longbiao were quite clear, and he said with some fear: "Su Lao, aren't you joking with your own life?"

  "Grandpa Jing shook his head and said: 'I must solve this mystery of his!'"

  Kangding Village tried to stop, but Jing'er's grandfather shook his head and said: "Xiao Kang, if I don't do it, it will bring disaster to the girl. If I do it, the girl won't make the same mistake again."

  Jing'er burst into tears and rushed forward to hug her grandfather, wailing: "Grandpa, I don't want you to go, I won't let you go!"

  Grandfather Jing patted Jing'er's head and said kindly, "Girlie, Grandpa already knows his birth eight characters, and you are Grandpa's lifeblood. Can you say that Grandpa shouldn't continue? Grandpa is already eighty years old, and has let go of everything. Listen to me, be good!"

  Jing'er knew that Grandfather was right, if Grandfather didn't give Longbiao the divination of touching bones, she would definitely go to do it. Longbiao was a loved one more important than her own life, but Grandfather was also a family member more important than her own life. Both were people she couldn't bear to part with, this was a terrifying dilemma. She was both fearful and conflicted, could only cry and use all her strength to hug Grandfather, trying to make him give up.

  "Granddaughter, Grandpa knows it's hard for you, but when it's time for Grandpa to do something, can't he just do it?"

  Jing'er didn't respond and still tightly hugged her grandfather, not allowing him to get close to Longbiao who was lying on the bed.

  Jing Er's grandfather let out a soft sigh, and also patted Jing Er on the shoulder. Jing Er suddenly felt weak all over her body. Jing Er's grandfather carefully placed Jing Er on the sand. Kang Ding Zhuang saw that the old man was so insistent, and it wasn't good to stop him either. The mysterious old man then carefully examined Long Bao from head to toe, and even undressed Long Bao to carefully observe the broken corner dragon head birthmark.

  As he looked at it, the old man was puzzled and muttered to himself: "This kid is really strange, it seems that this mark gets redder when it's colder, how can it be so red on such a hot day?"

  Jing'er and Grandfather left soon after. After Longbiao woke up, he didn't think much about it and hurried to take care of the various matters at Qian Laoling's funeral hall.

  This was a specially designed low-temperature room for preserving the dead, and the chilly air inside formed an extreme contrast with the scorching heat outside. As Longbiao sat alone in front of Qian Lao's body, his heart was bitten by the memories of last night like a venomous snake. Longbiao wished he could forget everything from before, but those things were etched in his mind like a branding iron.

  It is said that time and severing ties are the best tools to fade memories and emotions. As days go by, people will gradually forget their past mistakes, forget their former friendships, and forget their former loves. At this point, Long Bao can only pin his hopes on this.

  Long Bao mouth has been muttering to himself, he is waiting for Qian Lao's spirit, waiting for a soul that has already disappeared, feeling like he is waiting for the curse of heaven, waiting for the sorrowful guilt, waiting for the painful memories, waiting for the painful wounds that pierce his bones. He thought a lot and said a lot, but the tears kept rolling in his eyes, yet never fell down.

  In the mourning hall of the funeral parlor, the crowd coming and going without a break mostly had a solemn and heavy look. In front of Qian Lao's large black-and-white portrait, they bowed to pay their respects, but very few were willing to come into the room where Qian Lao's body was laid out in the funeral home to take a last look at his remains.

  Qian Lao's descendants wore mourning clothes, Qian Yu Hui and Qian Su Xue were in tears, Ye Heng and Qian Lao's two daughters-in-law seemed to be filled with grief, but only Kai Kai had little concept of death, playing around in the mourning hall as if it was a new world he had never seen before, full of wonder.

  In the afternoon, Ye Heng suddenly ordered his daughter Ye He to rush in and scold Long Bao for not being a member of the Qian family and having no right to guard Qian Lao's body, telling him to get out.

  Long Bao said nothing, and with a solemn expression, he kowtowed three times to the spirit of Qian Lao. He then turned around and walked out. As he left the room, the tears that had been welling up in his eyes finally overflowed, falling silently onto the bright floorboards without making a sound.

  Qian Lao's funeral was mainly handled by the group's high-level executives. The group's stock price fell below the warning line due to Qian Lao's passing, and the group's operations also encountered problems. Ali Fei and others closely monitored the market for signs of panic selling, ready to inform Long Bao at any time. Fortunately, there was no loss of control situation.

  At 7 o'clock in the evening, Qian Laosun Qian Yu Fan, who was being treated in the United States, rushed back and threw himself on Qian Lao's body, wailing loudly. On July 6th, in the morning, Qian Tonghua, who had been sentenced to four years in prison, was allowed out to attend his father's funeral. After several months of imprisonment, he truly repented. Accompanied by a lawyer, he knelt before Qian Lao's body and kowtowed with grief, no one could persuade him otherwise, until his head was swollen and bruised from the repeated bowing.

  Because Longbiao's previous mobile phone number was turned off, Qiuya and Shiwei were unable to contact Longbiao directly. Kangding Village, on behalf of Longbiao, advised them not to rush to Hong Kong. They could only light incense and worship Qian Lao at home, anxiously waiting for Longbiao's call. Since Longbiao didn't answer the phone, they could only get some information from Kangding Village and Kang Tie.

  On July 8th at noon, it was a auspicious day for burial, Qian Lao and his wife were buried together.

  The funeral procession moved slowly forward, Longbiao followed in the funeral procession, silently escorting the coffin up the mountain. He was speechless and expressionless, seemingly without sorrow or pain, but at the moment when the soil covered the coffin, he suddenly burst into tears.

  Life is indeed just a fleeting moment in the world, and one's life journey is insignificant compared to the vastness of the world. Born, sick, dead, and eventually everyone will be like Qian Lao, De Lao, and Qi YeYe, buried in the ground, forever separated from the world above, with no chance of reunion.

  If it's cremation, then it's just a small can of grayish powder; if it's burial, the corpse will rot soon after and merge with the soil hundreds of years later. This is the road that we all have to take in the future, an inevitable path.

  The funeral is over, and all the descendants of the Qian family, members of the Li Heng Group's board of directors, and high-level officials including Long Bao are gathered in Qian Lao's mansion waiting for the lawyer to announce Qian Lao's will, completely revealing the truth about the will.

  Two well-known Hong Kong lawyers appointed by Qian Laosheng before his death, after verifying that all relevant persons to the will were present, said: "We are entrusted by Mr. Qian Zhengsheng to play a video for everyone here, which records the entire process of him making the will. The formal text of the will will be announced later." After saying this, they solemnly took out a videocassette from a password-locked box and started playing it.

  The TV screen showed the images of Qian Lao and the two lawyers, then froze on Qian Lao's aged face. Qian Lao's expression was calm, his words clear:

  My sons and daughters, daughter-in-law, son-in-law and grandchildren, as well as members of the Lee Heng Group Board of Directors:

  When you see these images, I have already reached the end of my journey and am resting in eternal sleep beneath the green hills. From now on, we will be separated by heaven and earth, never to meet again. I hope that those of you who feel guilty, regretful, grateful, resentful, or reluctant to let go can listen to my last words with a calm heart.

  A will is an arrangement and entrustment for things after one's death. Since my wife passed away, I have been carefully considering this will. At the age of 73, I don't remember how many things I've written or how many decisions I've made, but now, as far as I'm concerned, the most difficult thing to write and decide on is a will. Because it involves the inheritance of enormous wealth, which may affect the fate of those involved, it's hard to be careful, and one can't help but be cautious.

  Up to now, the will has been revised five times and is now finalized. This is my final decision after repeated consideration, I have a doctor's certificate that I am of clear mind, *** lawyer and *** lawyer are the witnesses and executors of this will.

  The following is the formal content of my will:

  First: In order to ensure that my descendants do not suffer from unpredictable misfortunes, I give $1 million each to Qian Suxue, Qian Tonghua, Qian Tongxia, Qian Yuhui, Qian Yufang, Ye He, Ye Zhi, and Qian Zhikai. The money is in a Swiss bank account, and I hope they will not use it unless absolutely necessary.

  Second: My daughters-in-law, Ah Ping and Ah Lan, are meticulous and not ordinary people. I bequeath to each of them ten million US dollars as a token of my appreciation.

  Third: I have purchased a set of housing for each of the above-mentioned descendants in Hong Kong and mainland China, which are now given to you, and you can dispose of them as you wish.

  Fourth: I will specially give the treasured items, Tianyu Mouse and Huangyu Cong, to Long Bao, the current Special Assistant to the Board of Directors of Liheng Group, hoping that he will take good care of them.

  Fifth: I have established the Qian Zhengsheng Asset Custody Center and will transfer all movable and immovable properties under my name, except for those listed above, to this center. I appoint Long Bing as the general person in charge of the center and authorize him to modify the operating charter of the Qian Zhengsheng Asset Custody Center at any time according to needs. At the same time, I appoint my bodyguard, Mr. Kang Dingzhuang, as the security director of the center, and the remaining management personnel will be appointed by Mr. Long Bing. No one is allowed to interfere.

  Sixth: Mr. Longbiao has exceptional talent, a strong and resilient character, is bold and decisive, highly intelligent and courageous, kind and benevolent. Although he has only been with the Liheng Group for ten months, under his suggestions and operations, the group has successfully resolved multiple crises. I believe he can definitely take on this heavy responsibility, manage the assets of the trust center well, and truly bring out the value of wealth. Therefore, I solemnly suggest to the Liheng Group Board of Directors that they elect him as Chairman of the Board and appoint him as CEO of the group.

  ……

  Qian Lao, with a smile on his face, gave a thumbs up and said: "Long Bao, well done! I will always support any decision you make!" Then Qian Lao waved at everyone on the screen, smiling and saying: "I'm leaving, take care of yourselves and cherish the happiness around you!"

  Long Bao stood at the edge of the hall, smoking and staring at the TV screen as he listened to Qian Lao's last words. His expression was solemn, and Kang Ding Zhuang stood behind him. Everyone looked at Long Bao with various gazes, trying to find some answer from his face, but found that his eyes had become deep and unfathomable.

  The lawyers then read out the formal text of the will, which was no different from what had just been said. The lawyers then asked everyone: "Does anyone have any questions? If so, please raise them now and we, as witnesses and executors, will answer one by one without evasion; if not, please indicate your attitude, whether to accept or give up, in order to go through the formalities."

  An oppressive silence hung in the air, and Qian Lao's descendants all looked as pale as death.

  The air on the verge of explosion was filled with despair, only the ignorant little Kai Kai jumped to Long Bao's side, pulling Long Bao's hand and asked: "Uncle Bao, Grandpa just mentioned you on TV!"

  Qian Yu Hui and the others stood woodenly, while Ye Heng's heart was filled with mixed emotions. He hated Long Bao so much that he wished he had a gun to kill him. He decided to push Qian Tonghua and Qian Yufan forward to utilize their status as the eldest grandson to confront Long Bao. With a sinister smile, he said: "Strange things happen every year, but today is especially plentiful. The billions of assets have entered the pockets of the poor and arrogant sixth son! Haha, my two daughters were originally not surnamed Qian, and they didn't have a share in this family property anyway. But now, the official eldest grandson of the Qian family has become a scapegoat! Haha!"

  "I never thought that Qian Tonghua would turn around and scold Ye Heng: 'I'm telling you, Ye Heng, don't think about sowing discord and borrowing a knife to kill someone! If it weren't for the sake of my elder sister, I wouldn't spare you!' Afterwards, his voice sank down, with a sobbing tone, 'A few months in prison, I regret it endlessly... Father worked hard all his life, just to leave like this... What father did was right, leaving the family property to us, can we keep it? If we can't keep it, then why not give it to someone who can?!... I've done everything, seen everything, but what's the result?... I'm in prison, my only son is ill, my wife cheated on me, what have I been doing with my life?!..."

  Qian Yu's eyes also welled up with tears, while his mother was overwhelmed with shame. After crying for a while, Qian Tonghua lifted her head and said resolutely: "I'm a failure, I have no face to ask for my father's will, I agree to accept my father's arrangement, Longbiao, I support you, I know that if my father didn't truly value you, he wouldn't make such a decision. Please don't disappoint my father!"

  Long Bao looked at Qian Tonghua, his heart surged with shock and waves, after a while of effort, he nodded and said: "Don't worry, I know what to do."

  Although Qian Tonghua agreed to support Long Bao in the will, Qian Suxue and Qian Yuhui still had their doubts. They repeatedly checked the original will and image materials, questioned the lawyers again and again, and stated that they would not comment for the time being. Later, they jointly appealed to the court, requesting to invalidate this will. After a detailed investigation, the court made a judgment half a month later. The judgment said that although Qian's will did not conform to common sense, it fully met the legal requirements of a will and was protected by the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The descendants of the Qian family had no choice but to accept this fact.

  After the lawyer handled the relevant procedures, Long Bao officially became the director of Qian Zhengsheng's asset trust center, with great power in his hands. However, Long Bao later established a board of trustees for the trust center and appointed Qian Suxue, Qian Yuhui, Zeng Haichang, the bedridden Xue Guowei, and Kang Dingzhuang as members of the board of trustees. The members of the board of trustees have the power to supervise, advise and criticize the affairs of the trust center.

  Long Bowen's chapter has begun, and after the Li Heng Group Board of Directors formally convenes on July 28, he can take office. As the chairman and president of the Li Heng Group, how will he develop and build this aircraft carrier?

  He who stubbornly believes himself to be an unlucky person, after making a ruthless decision, how will he deal with friendship, love and other emotions? Can he really become emotionless?

  Life is a net, emotions are a net, human life is a net. When people live, there are nets everywhere, and there are nets all around. You are both the one being caught in the net and the one casting the net. The net catches others but also catches yourself. As long as you're alive, there will be connections and interactions. As long as you have relationships with others, there will be the existence of nets. No one can escape.

  In fact, the essence of the web is human nature. The web is not just a web, but because of human psychology and various aspects of human nature, it has become a high wall on all sides.

  It's quite ridiculous, isn't it? The net is cast over **, while ** is the city wall.

  Long Bao is cursed by the heavens, and the heavens have also cursed his emotions. Long Bao's struggles in the mundane world are not like ours, simply seeking; he is struggling in a lofty manner. His unreasonable behavior deeply hides his sorrowful and lonely soul, crying out in despair in this real yet empty space of human life.