Chapter 40 - The End
In the blink of an eye, the Lunar New Year came. Tang Kai’s parents were too busy with work and it was too late for them to rush back over the holiday. Anyways, Tang Kai had someone to accompany him this year, so they didn’t have to worry.
The fate of the world was really a miracle. They only met for the first time last April and felt that the other was a pain in the ass. Who would have expected that from spring to autumn, then to winter, they would live together under the same roof like an intimate couple.
On New Year’s Eve, although they were only two people, Sun Zinan still made an entire table’s worth of a hearty New Year’s Eve dinner. Tang Kai clumsily helped him fold dumplings. Sun Zinan repeatedly emphasized that they could be ugly, but the filling absolutely could not leak out. This made Tang Kai too afraid to boldly put in filling, and the dumplings came out extremely flat.
Although Sun Zinan was busy, he was in a very good mood. While he cooked the dumplings, he laughed at him. “When it comes out of the pot it’ll be so ugly you won’t even be able to eat it.”
“Only you can eat these exclusive secret love dumplings.” Tang Kai said, “I advise you to praise it quickly, otherwise it will be even more painful to eat later.”
When Sun Zinan heard this, he almost hit him with the colander. “It’s the New Year, don’t fight me.”
Tang Kai handed him a plate with a smile.
In the evening of the Spring Festival, when the countdown to the end of the year came, the food was ready and there were no firecrackers outside. The quiet neighborhood was still, and the distant sounds of gongs and drums added a little excitement to the house. Their phones would not stop vibrating. They were all New Year greeting messages from all the people they knew, but the two of them didn’t bother with them and each took a bowl of dumplings before sitting at the table.
Tang Kai poured a glass of wine for each of them and raised his glass for a toast. He addressed Sun Zinan solemnly. “In this new year, I hope my darling will have a peaceful life and be healthy. I hope all will be well. No matter what happens in the future, good or bad, I will always be with you.”
Sun Zinan was slightly started, then couldn’t suppress the smile spreading across his face. He raised his glass and gently toasted back, “Happy New Year, I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Tang Kai replied. “Happy New Year.”
In this past year, Sun Zinan had registered a new investment company in S City called ‘Guanshan Investment.’ The registered capital was 50 million and he invested in half of it, becoming both a shareholder and a board director.
The company was mainly for Fu Tingxin’s hot pot shop to do foreign investments. It sounded very impressive, but mainly just invested in companies that sold sweet potato noodles and enoki mushrooms. Most of these companies were under the banner of ‘so-and-so biology company,’ which always made Sun Zinan feel like he had gone back to his roots.
Only Tang Kai felt very gratified after hearing about it. “You’re finally doing regular business, and it’s better than cornstalks. I think it’s pretty good being the director of enoki mushrooms.”
“Why does it sound so bad when you say it like that? Who’s the enoki mushroom?” Sun Zinan grasped Tang Kai by the back of his neck. “Come back here!”
The two of them were laughing and running around making a mess when Sun Zinan’s phone suddenly rang.
He pressed Tang Kai against the wall and checked his phone screen. It was his second eldest brother, Sun Ziqing. He did not shy away from Tang Kai and picked up the call in front of him. “Hello, who is it?”
“Little Nan, it’s me.”
Sun Ziyuan’s voice came from the other end of the phone. “I couldn’t get through to you, so I borrowed your second brother’s phone.”
“Oh,” Sun Zinan said without any remorse, “I’m sorry, I blocked you and forgot to change it.”
Sun Ziyuan did not care about these details and went straight to the point. “Dad is sick and in the hospital. It’s pretty serious. Are you going to go see him?”
Sun Zinan shook as he heard this, and unconsciously pinched Tang Kai.
For a moment Tang Kai looked into his dazed eyes and thought he had been stunned, but in the next second, Sun Zinan replied, “If he’s sick then have him go see the doctor. What’s the point of me going, it’s not like I can cure him.”
“Little Nan, don’t be like this to him at this time.” Sun Ziyuan said, “He’s your father. You’ve been out for so long, you should calm down now.”
Sun Zinan had no words for a moment and endured the urge to curse at Sun Ziyuan. “Director Sun, do you know what &#k2018;cutting off our relationship’ means? Do you still think of me as a schoolboy who has run away from home because of no pocket money?”
“Before, when I recognized him as my father, he didn’t recognize me as his son. Now that I don’t want to have a relationship with him you guys think I’m his son again?” Sun Zinan said, “If your words go up and down, you’ll touch both sides of the coin. What’s the point of calling when you could have just ordered a bodyguard to come drag me away?”
Sun Ziyuan was provoked into a heart full of fire and he said rigidly, “You don’t have to act so sinisterly towards me. Dad is the one who has been calling for you. Figure it out yourself.”
Sun Zinan said “oh” very meaningfully. “So it’s the old man who made the holy orders. Then why didn’t you just say it at the beginning, but beat around the bush with your familial love cards. Is it interesting?”
Sun Ziyuan, “…”
“Give me the address, I’ll go when I’m free tomorrow.” Sun Zinan added coldly, “Is there anything else? If not, then I’m hanging up.”
After that, he didn’t even give Sun Ziyuan the opportunity to speak before directly hanging up the phone.
Tang Kai looked at his sudden, dark expression and took the initiative to hold him into his arms. He bowed his head and asked, “Should I accompany you tomorrow?”
“En.” Sun Zinan reached around his waist and said, “What do you think he’s up to this time?”
Tang Kai joked, “He’s not going to give you 5 million to make you leave me, right?”
Sun Zinan did not make a sound for a while. Tang Kai’s heart thumped. “Darling, are you considering it?”
“Go to hell.” Sun Zinan was angered into laughing. He squeezed his waist slightly. “5 million is too cheap. Can you please have some shame?”
“Is that so?” Tang Kai bowed slightly and suddenly swept his feet off the ground as he said reluctantly, “Shouldn’t your answer be you won’t leave me no matter how much money you get?!”
”Yes, yes, yes.” Sun Zinan said coaxingly, “This strong man, can you put me down? If you tickle me again, I’ll divorce you for 5 million!”
The topic turned eight hundred meters away, like a brief breeze blowing away the fog in his heart.
In fact, Sun Zinan was not actually willing to maliciously speculate Sun Ying’s motivations. It was like grabbing a blade with an empty hand to hurt someone; it would only end up hurting everyone involved, including himself. He sometimes felt that he had already let go of everything, but feelings were not something that could be cut out like pork at a butcher’s—cutting off a few kilograms wouldn’t just cut off a few kilograms; his blood would still flow out.
The next day was a holiday. Tang Kai drove Sun Zinan to the hospital entrance, but did not intend to accompany him up.
It seemed like he was just the role of a driver all in the end. “Your father probably won’t want to see me. Go, I’ll wait for you here.”
“Okay.” Sun Zinan untied his seat belt and leaned over to kiss his cheek. “I’ll be back soon.”
Tang Kai watched him walk away, until Sun Zinan’s figure disappeared behind the hospital’s glass door. Only then did he lean back against his seat and let out a light and slow, long sigh.
As the man standing next to Sun Zinan, it was an indisputable fact that his perspective was biased. To tell the truth, Tang Kai did not think Sun Ying had wanted to call Sun Zinan over due to a sudden surge of affection. A person’s kindness was difficult to keep consistent. Maliciousness was much easier. Repentance was not a simple thing, especially for Sun Ying, who had always regarded him as someone above all others in his long years of authority.
The 5 million that day was not just a joke. Sun Zinan definitely wouldn’t put 5 million in his eyes, but what if it was several tens of millions? Or the chair position of Hongsen Group?
In the past, he did not get the attention he wanted, and those demons had troubled him for years….The bell-bearer would now release the bell himself; would Sun Zinan obediently kneel down and plead for relief, or would he rather live his life with regrets and scars?
Tang Kai did not dare to guess anymore.
He opened a small gap in the window. The March wind, wrapped in the scent of moist dirt, scattered into the car.
The message of spring seemed to fleetingly pass his ear, still confined within the not-yet-dissipated winter chill.
Sun Ying was staying in a three-room special ward. Sun Zinan waited for the other side to sign him in before going up the elevator and arriving at the ward on the fifth floor.
He put his phone in his pocket and raised his hand to ring the doorbell.
The electronic lock automatically clicked open. Sun Ying’s voice rang from the inside. “Come in.”
Sun Zinan went through the door and found that Secretary Wang Tian, Sun Ying, and a man in a suit and tie who was holding a folder and a voice recorder in his hand were all present in the room.
Seeing him come over, the man took the initiative to nod at him. “Hello, Mr. Sun, I am a lawyer commissioned by older Mr. Sun. My last name is Cao.”
“Hello Lawyer Cao.” Sun Zinan nodded at him, then turned to Sun Ying. “What are you looking for me for?”
Sun Ying had grown a lot older in the few months he hadn’t seen him. His face looked slightly ill; he used to be a hearty old man, but now he seemed like he was slightly decaying.
He had had a successful career in this life, and had enjoyed his wealth. He had lived nothing short of a winner’s life, and should have been comfortably retired, but for various reasons, he had been exhausted by his worrying children.
So there was some truth in saying that some children were debts, and some government bonds.
“I called you here today to tell you about the will.” Sun Ying did not mention familial relations with him and directly went straight to the subject. As if he had practiced it many times before, he said clearly, “I have 38 percent of shares under my name. I’m planning on leaving you 22 percent, and the remaining 16 percent will be equally divided among your siblings. You will become the biggest shareholder to take over as chairman of Hongsen Group.”
Sun Zinan listened to this, without any excitement or joy on his face. He didn’t say thank you and just looked at him quietly.
As expected, Sun Ying really did have a condition.
“The condition is that you are not allowed to be with Tang Kai.”
“Oh?” Sun Zinan’s brows raised, finally showing a different expression. He asked with interest, “How can you guarantee that I will be obedient and won’t take your money to support Tang Kai?”
Mr. Cao coughed gently next to him, signaling that he wasn’t just standing there to be a coat-hanger.
“The will has additional conditions. Once it is found that you and Tang Kai have a de facto marriage relationship, the execution will be immediately suspended and you won’t get a single penny.” Sun Ying said, “Zinan, in front of you is not 50 thousand or a million; it’s nearly 10 billion dollars from the group. You might not even be able to earn this much even if you struggled for an entire lifetime. Tang Kai is good to you, but he is also a poor teacher. Can love be eaten? Can you guarantee that he will never change his heart? Shares are real money; if I give you them, others cannot take them away. Consider your choice carefully.”
As his voice landed, the entire ward fell into a frozen silence.
Lawyer Cao and Wang Tian, the two outsiders, were so nervous that their hearts were racing, holding their breath as the two people facing each other did not move. At this moment, the father and son looked exactly the same, like they had been carved out of the same mold.
After a long time, Sun Zinan finally couldn’t keep his expression neutral anymore and started laughing. “What luck, I’ve learned the questions before the exam.”
Although the other three were stunned, he didn’t explain what he meant. Sun Zinan continued, “Chairman Sun, didn’t your elementary school teacher teach you that money can’t buy friendship or love?”
Sun Ying, “…”
“When I left, I already told you to do whatever you want with the inheritance. I didn’t come up to you to ask for it, so why do you have to act so undignified, splitting the shares and even hiring a lawyer? Will the world end if you don’t give them to me?”
“I used to listen to you and was willing to be threatened by your inheritance because I wanted you to look at me and recognize me, to think of me as your flesh and blood son. But you only thought of me as a paid catfish.” Sun Zinan said, “Now that I don’t want anything and am ready to start a new life, you want to try to force me to turn back.”
“Let’s not beat around the bush. Why did you suddenly figure out that you wanted me back to pick up your work, did you finally decide I was your son?”
Sun Ying’s body was stiff, fighting back his rising anger as he nodded.
“Bullshit.” Sun Zinan mercilessly debunked him. “You just felt like the authority of the head of the family had been challenged, and wanted to put me back under your control. If you use force as bait, I’ll break up with Tang Kai. Without the Tang family backing me, I’ll have to live off of you. Isn’t that how it is? You’re even pretending to be a fatherly figure, Dad.”
Sun Ying was speechless.
Sun Zinan had exposed the truth. He wanted to yell, to exhaust all the bad words in his vocabulary to accuse this bastard, but he was really too old; saying a few words took up his breath and left him no strength to continue cursing. What was more was that he was the first to suggest that Sun Zinan should break up with Tang Kai for the inheritance. Others were at the scene, and would definitely think he was blackmailing him.
“Get out,” Sun Ying took in a forceful breath, quivering as he pointed at the door and shouted, “I don’t have a son like you, get out!”
“Okay, I’m leaving now.” Sun Zinan promised him in a very relaxed manner, then put his hand back into his pocket to take out his phone for everyone to see.
The screen that should have been automatically locked was actually on, showing an ongoing WeChat call.
Wang Tian took in a cold breath.
“Wait a minute, let me recite the answer I should have said earlier.” Sun Zinan smiled at Sun Ying and said politely, “Thank you for your love, chairman. But I will never leave Tang Kai, no matter how much money you give me. Thank you.”
Sun Ying, “…”
Professor Tang, who had been clutching at his phone and listening to the conversation the entire time, sprawled himself over the steering wheel and covered his hot face with his hands.
Sun Zinan finished the dog food without any burden and prepared himself to listen to his father’s words one last time before going out. When he got to the door, he suddenly remembered something and turned to Sun Ying to say, “By the way, the next time you try to fool people, remember not to use something as obvious as 22. Your precious children already have 13 percent of the existing shares. Adding that with the 16 percent, they will become the major shareholders. Addition and subtraction of numbers under a hundred are still math problems for elementary school. I hope the chairman doesn’t treat everyone else like a fool. I’m leaving. I wish you good health.”
This time, he walked out without nostalgia and feeling particularly relaxed, as if he had finally, personally cut off the last chain tied to himself.
Injury and pain were regretful, but life couldn’t be polished without struggles, breakthroughs, stubbornness and pain…All those branches formed the veins of his life. He would never confine himself to a pot just because of a little fertilizer, even if the pot was made with pure gold.
Downstairs in front of the hospital. Tang Kai sat in the car, his heart pounding from Sun Zinan’s public declaration of love. He admitted that he was a young man who had been carried away by love; he wanted to recklessly go into the hospital right now and run away to the ends of the earth with his sweetheart.
As he was in this trance, the sound of two knocks came from the car window.
Tang Kai suddenly woke up from his fantasy and readily pulled the window down. He saw Sun Zinan standing outside, well-dressed as he supported himself with one hand against the car roof. He leaned down and asked solemnly, “Master, do you want to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau?”
On this clear and sunny day, the hint of a breeze seemed to become warmer as it brushed past the smile on his lips.
Spring had finally come.
t/n: the next and last chapter (an extra) has also been posted!