"When will you marry me?" Su Ruiyi asked.
"Oh, is this the time for you to be saying such things?" Ou Yunchen replied.
"Why not? In front of my parents, you should at least give me a definite answer, right?"
Su Ruiyi cornered him the moment Ou Yunchen finished cleaning the tombstones of Mrs. Su and Xu Shuming.
"Take this!" Ou Yunchen said.
"Offer incense!" Ou Yunchen instructed.
"What's wrong? You said you'd take good care of me. Do you not want to take responsibility anymore?" Su Ruiyi pressed.
"Can we discuss this later? Not here!" Ou Yunchen pleaded.
"I want to discuss it here!"
"Fine, fine, fine. Say what you want. Just say it!"
"Dad, Mom, I'm getting married."
Ou Yunchen quickly covered Su Ruiyi's mouth, his hair standing on end in fright.
"Mmmph mmmph mmmph!!!" Su Ruiyi muffled.
"Please, my dear, we're here to pay respects, not to chat, and certainly not for you to spout nonsense!" Ou Yunchen begged.
"Then you tell me! Do you or do you not want to marry me?!"
"What kind of girl chases after a guy day after day asking, 'Will you marry me? When are we getting married?'?"
"You slept with me, and now you don't want to take responsibility?!"
Ou Yunchen quickly covered Su Ruiyi's mouth again. This time, it wasn't just his hair standing on end in fright; he couldn't even bear to look at Mrs. Su's tombstone.
"Keep your voice down!" Ou Yunchen hissed.
"We've been together for so long, and you're so much older. Don't you want to get married?"
"I'm afraid of marriage, okay? Afraid of marriage!"
"I'm not afraid of marriage, so what are you afraid of? All my friends are having children, and I haven't even gotten married yet!"
"We're good like this. It's no different from being married!"
"Then let's have a child? And then get married?"
"Don't say any more. If you say that, your mom might jump out from there and scold you!"
"I don't care. I'm marrying you anyway."
Su Ruiyi tightly gripped Ou Yunchen's arm. As he arranged the flowers, she chattered on about how she was going to be Ou Yunchen's wife.
"Look, my dad and mom are living so happily now."
"They're dead, how can they be happy?"
"They're finally lying together. When they were alive, my dad barely slept at home, let alone by my mom's side."
"What kind of twisted logic is that!"
"When we're alive, I want to lie with you. When we're dead, I want to lie next to you too!"
"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey! Can you say something nice at a grave?!"
Ou Yunchen tapped Su Ruiyi on the head, regretting a little that he had come to sweep the tombs with her…
"Let's bow."
Only then did Su Ruiyi quiet down, standing respectfully.
"Mom, don't worry, I'm doing well, and Su's Group is doing well too. Ou Yunchen has managed everything perfectly..."
"Dad should be with you now, right? Keep an eye on him. If he runs off to find other women, or rather, other ghosts, I won't be able to do anything about it..."
"Hiss..." Ou Yunchen winced.
"Oh, right. I'm Ou Yunchen's woman now. We're together, finally together..."
Su Ruiyi looked up at Ou Yunchen, her eyes turning red.
Ou Yunchen put his arm around Su Ruiyi's shoulders, and together they bowed three times to Mrs. Su.
"Don't worry, I'll take good care of her."
Su Ruiyi interjected, "We're getting married!"
"Hiss!" Ou Yunchen exclaimed.
"Dad, Mom, we're leaving. We'll visit you again next time."
Su Ruiyi pulled Ou Yunchen along, secretly wiping away a tear, and then resumed her incessant chatter about marriage.
Annoyed, Ou Yunchen quickened his pace, and Su Ruiyi almost had to jog to keep up...
- Ou Yunchen on the phone -
"Hello? Sister Hong."
"Why are you out of breath?"
"Su Ruiyi is chasing me."
"Come to Athena. Amin is in trouble."
- Call ended -
Amin?!
Ou Yunchen hadn't heard that name in years, not since Yan Shizong took away the shares of AtL. Amin had disappeared from the city then.
Yet, the first time he heard of him again was the news of his death.
Ou Yunchen looked at an elderly couple sitting in Athena, their eyes scanning their surroundings as if disbelieving that this was where their son had worked.
Beside them sat a little girl in ill-fitting clothes, her sleeves too short, and her shoes seemingly with several holes.
Her expression was dazed, and a snot trail ran down her nose. She looked nothing like a child who had grown up in the city.
On the other side sat a younger man, who bore some resemblance to Amin. Perhaps he was a relative.
"They are Amin's parents, this is Amin's daughter, and that is Amin's brother." Sister Hong explained.
"We're here to claim the house. I know Amin had a place in the city." Amin's mother said.
"They've come from Amin's hometown..." Sister Hong whispered.
"Uncle, Auntie, how did Amin pass away?" Ou Yunchen asked.
"That woman said it was a car accident..." Amin's mother replied.
"She's referring to Amin's wife," Sister Hong explained softly.
Apple? Right, why wasn't Apple here?!
Ou Yunchen continued, "Where is the child's mother?"
"Her? Humph! Filthy thing! She ran off long ago! As soon as my son died, she ran off with another man!" Amin's mother spat.
"Amin died three years ago. Apple sent the child to her grandmother's, and then one day, she just disappeared. They said Apple must have run off with another man." Sister Hong elaborated.
"How did you know Amin had a house in the city?" Ou Yunchen asked.
"My son told me when he bought the house. Now that he's dead, the house belongs to us!"
"It was pre-marital property..." Amin's father chimed in.
"Yes, bought before marriage. That woman won't get any of it!" Amin's mother declared.
Ou Yunchen sighed. That house was something Amin had gifted him, feeling guilty for past wrongs.
But it couldn't compensate for the losses incurred at AtL at the time, so Ou Yunchen had never claimed it. Many years had passed; the house should still be empty...
"Do you plan to move to the city?" Ou Yunchen asked.
"No, we're not used to city life. We want our younger son to get married and live there."
"For your brother?"
"Yes. Our youngest son is getting married, so the house should go to him."
"And where will Amin's daughter live?"
"She's just a girl. She'll come back to the village with us. When she grows up, she can marry whoever she finds."
"She should stay in the city to attend school."
"We don't have such customs in our village."
Ou Yunchen chuckled. He hadn't told them yet that the child wasn't Amin's biological daughter. Otherwise, this family might even abandon the child...
No wonder Amin had been sending money home constantly. It turned out he had a younger brother to support...
Looking at the child, Ou Yunchen couldn't help but recall Amin's appearance, and also Mo Qingyun, and the day they became the child's godparents...
"I'll take you to Amin's house."
Amin's mother immediately stood up. "Good, good, good. Let's go now."
Ou Yunchen wanted to take the little girl's hand. After all, he was the child's lifesaver!
However, due to her upbringing in the countryside, the little girl was timid in the city, looking around nervously and only daring to hide beside her grandparents.
"She's timid, very timid." Amin's mother said.
Ou Yunchen smiled and didn't look back at them.
***
It was a stroke of luck that Ou Yunchen managed to open Amin's house. He was the one who paid the locksmith, as the elderly couple shied away when money was mentioned, as if it had nothing to do with them.
Still, it was only a small fee, and Ou Yunchen considered it something he was doing for his deceased friend.
When the door opened, the house, unused and unventilated for years, emitted a foul odor. Dust covered everything.
"This house is so big! Oh, there's something by the door!" Amin's mother exclaimed.
Ou Yunchen glanced over. It was a set of baby clothes that Mo Qingyun had bought for Amin's child back then. It seemed they wouldn't be needed now.
Amin's mother quickly stuffed them into the large woven bag she was carrying, as if afraid someone would snatch them away.
The little girl ran to the living room and picked up a plush toy forgotten in a corner.
"This was yours when you were little. Your father often used it to entertain you."
The little girl looked up at Ou Yunchen, then fearfully ran back to her grandmother.
"What's this?" Amin's father asked.
Ou Yunchen looked at what Amin's father was holding. It was the letter Amin had left for Ou Yunchen, which he had also left in this house.
"Oh, this is Amin's handwriting!"
"What does it say?" Amin's mother asked.
"Amin says he's leaving this house to Mr. Ou? Mr. Ou? Isn't that you?"
Just as Ou Yunchen was about to take the letter, Amin's father became even more anxious. He questioned Ou Yunchen, asking why he was taking Amin's house. Amin's mother was ready for a "fight."
Ou Yunchen smiled. He had no intention of explaining. He simply said faintly, "I don't want this house, so I didn't take the letter he gave me."
"Then you better be clear. This house has nothing to do with you. You can't suddenly decide to come back and claim it someday."
"Don't worry, I won't. I won't take Amin's house."
"Then write us a note." Amin's brother said.
Ou Yunchen smiled and took out a pen, writing on the back of the letter his refusal to accept Amin's compensation, that he didn't need it, and would not take Amin's house. Only then did Amin's brother relax.
Now, even the traces of Amin having lived here were disappearing, as Amin's brother excitedly discussed what to buy and where to place it...
Ou Yunchen quietly withdrew from the house. He would never meet Amin again.
Before, he had merely thought of Amin as a friend he would no longer contact. Now, Amin had become another deceased friend in his life...
***
"Life is unpredictable. Cherish the people you have now." Sister Hong said.
Sister Hong glanced at Su Ruiyi. Ou Yunchen, who had returned from Amin's house, returned to Athena, as Su Ruiyi had been waiting for him there.
He guessed that Su Ruiyi must have complained quite a bit to Sister Hong about him refusing to marry her.
Ou Yunchen shook his head helplessly. Ever since they had opened up to each other, Su Ruiyi had become the person who understood Ou Yunchen the best.
Whether he was the top earner at Athena or the adopted son he once was, Su Ruiyi didn't care. What she wanted was the present, the man beside her, who she needed to keep.
"Auntie Hong, look at him. He pretends not to hear when this topic comes up!" Su Ruiyi said.
"Hmm? What were you talking about?" Ou Yunchen asked, playing along.
"I'm not getting involved in you two's affairs. You two sort it out yourselves. I have to go back to my room to do the accounts. This month's turnover isn't great."
"Can I help you?" Ou Yunchen offered.
"No need. You two have fun here."
Su Ruiyi pouted and hugged Ou Yunchen's arm.
"Miss Su, how do you manage to be both clingy and annoying?"
"What do you mean!!!"
"I'm with you every day, isn't that enough? Do I still have to marry you?"
"I lack a sense of security..."
"I think you're just too idle. How about I find you a job?"
"Okay, I'll be your secretary."
"We don't allow office romances in our company."
"No, I've seen many couples dating in your company."
"Impossible, absolutely impossible."
"Really. Even your lawyer Ma is with a younger man ten years her junior. I've bumped into them on the street several times."
"Then I'll have to have a word with her. How can she be an old cow eating young grass?"
"As if you're not..."
"Hiss!!!" Ou Yunchen exclaimed.
"Hey! Where are you going!"
"Back to AtL. I need to hold a meeting about this phenomenon of office romances and thoroughly rectify this unhealthy trend!"
"Hey!!! You're just avoiding my question!!! This is so annoying!!! You big bad guy!!!"
***
It was a sheer coincidence that as Ou Yunchen returned to AtL, he ran into someone looking for him.
"Mr. Ou, our Boss is already waiting for you in the car. Please follow me." Aaron said.
Gu Yilong?
Ou Yunchen hadn't seen him in a very long time.
But as soon as he got into the car, Ou Yunchen sensed that the atmosphere was not right.
"Mr. Ou, do you need me to remind you how you managed to walk out of my grasp alive?" Gu Yilong said.
Yes, what was bound to come had come. He had used Gu Yilong back then. Now that he didn't want revenge, he had completely abandoned his grand ambitions.
"I've already helped you rank Dingsheng Investment ahead of Tang Empire. Our agreement has been fulfilled. There shouldn't be anything else..."
"Nothing else? I'm curious. What makes you disregard the Bilderberg so much? Or do you think I can't kill you?"
"Mr. Gu's generous assistance, in making the Pedelberg see some color with t-currency at AtL, I will never forget this kindness..."
"Then you must repay it."
Ou Yunchen swallowed. He feared this man deep down.
Having been an adopted son for so long, among all the influential figures he had encountered, only Gu Yilong possessed an innate aura of deterrence. He was a terrifying beast.
"I wonder, Mr. Gu, how do you wish for me to repay it?"
"Come into the Pedelberg Club."
"Mr. Gu, I couldn't even get in when Colin was still around. Now that my backer is dead, I certainly can't get in."
"Then find another backer."
"For example?"
"Me."
"Mr. Gu, you're joking. Someone like me wouldn't be worthy of your attention."
"Don't forget your promise to Yun Qingyang. If you can't get into Pedelberg, how do you, a foreigner, expect to operate AtL smoothly here?"
This time, Ou Yunchen couldn't even force a smile. He was completely stunned.
This could only mean that Gu Yilong knew too much. He was the one holding his lifeline now!
The promise Ou Yunchen made to Yun Qingyang was a condition set by Colin.
Now, Ou Yunchen didn't know if Gu Yilong only knew about his and Yun Qingyang's affair, or if he was so formidable that he knew everything about the Elite Association?!
Most crucially, which side was Gu Yilong on?
He seemed to be in between everyone, a neutral party. He could be ignored, but when trouble arose, one would realize he was the one who absolutely could not be ignored!
"Mr. Gu, I'm too dull. I don't know what method you have to get me into Pedelberg?"
"I do, but I want compensation."