Chapter 69: Reunion is a Mandatory Course in Life Part 1

How much?

Five hundred thousand a year? Two million over four years? And an interest-free loan? For ten years??

This was something worth celebrating, yet it felt like a fever dream. Her voice trembled as she asked, “What about the subsidies from March, April, and May? Can they be transferred this month?”

“My sister has already arranged everything. Don’t worry; it should all arrive by December.”

Su Ye’s throat tightened. She felt a desperate urge to cry, wanting nothing more than to throw her arms around Yue Huan and wail.

This year had been so grueling, but finally, at the very end, they had made it through! They had finally survived!!

How could Wanjia-jie be so invincible? After providing the initial capital, she had somehow pulled in such a massive investment. And it wasn’t a capital injection—which would have given Qining Group shares—but a loan. As long as she repaid it, she and the Group remained partners, and she maintained her absolute independence.

Sniff… this is too moving!

“Then, where is Wanjia-jie going next? Is she coming back to An City? What about Youle?”

She desperately wanted to give Lin Wanjia a massive hug and cry her heart out.

Yue Chengqi patted her hand and whispered, “Ye, if you don’t let go soon, I’m going to start crying too.”

Her leg was about to be pinched purple!

Su Ye shakily released her grip. Her hands were still trembling, which made Yue Chengqi chuckle. She gently took Su Ye’s hands in hers, warming them with her own heat.

She’s acting a bit silly.

However, Lin Qining hadn’t mentioned any future plans. She had simply dropped a cold, jealous remark and hung up the phone.

Fine, being envied was normal. After all, she had just secured such a huge investment… Two hundred thousand would have been enough for her to strive for greatness, but two million? She didn’t even dare to imagine it!

Su Ye bounced on the bed, cheering in a low voice. she even leaned into Yue Chengqi’s embrace, humming happily. “It feels like a dream!”

Too surreal!

In the early days of winter, she had finally welcomed her spring!

Su Ye felt like she was floating even while washing her face and brushing her teeth. After breakfast, she snuggled back into Yue Chengqi’s arms, calculating how to spend the money—

“We can stock more categories of goods, and we can finally ramp up the promotion.”

“I want to buy a house with a shower! I’ll go pick one out later!”

“Should we buy a car too? That way we don’t have to keep borrowing other people’s electric tricycles to haul goods. You won’t have to exhaust yourself pedaling a tricycle anymore; you can give your legs a rest.”

“…”

Yue Chengqi looked down at the girl sitting on her lap, listening to her dream about the future. She gently stroked Su Ye’s hair, accompanying her through her thoughts.

They had so many futures ahead of them. They could enjoy so many tomorrows.

This joy came to a screeching halt the moment Zhang Mingfang appeared at the shop entrance.

Su Ye bounced over and greeted her happily. Her gaze immediately drifted behind the woman and toward the street. After searching several times, she looked back at Zhang Mingfang. “Where’s Wanjia-jie?”

Only then did she notice that the woman didn’t look happy at all. Hearing the question, Zhang Mingfang gave a cold smile and handed her a letter.

“She’s gone. She said not to worry; she won’t seek death. She has too many things she cares about. She just… needs to go find the meaning of her own existence.”

Su Ye froze, instinctively grabbing Zhang Mingfang’s collar. “What kind of joke is this? You two went out together! You’re definitely messing with me, right? Tell her to come out!!”

Yue Chengqi didn’t stop her. She stepped forward as well, glaring at Zhang Mingfang.

Zhang Mingfang laughed, then reached up and pried Su Ye’s fingers off her collar one by one. She said coldly, “I wish it were a joke too.”

She wished it more than anyone else.

Her lover didn’t want her, and her friend didn’t want her either.

How absurd.

They had clearly reached the provincial capital. Since they arrived in the middle of the night and couldn’t find a ride back, they booked a temporary hotel room, intending to sleep before heading home. But when she woke up, the space beside her was empty. Her phone and money hadn’t been forgotten, but she—Zhang Mingfang—had been left behind.

Two letters remained, written in Lin Wanjia’s restrained and elegant handwriting. One for her, and one for Su Ye.

The letter to Zhang Mingfang told her to be at peace. It expressed apology for utilizing her feelings to find a sense of self and hoped she would reclaim her dream of practicing medicine—

“…Do not make these senseless sacrifices for me. I want you to be free and happy, not bound by me. Don’t hate me; hate takes too much energy. Don’t remember me; that will only make you sad. So, if you can, please forget me.

But if you don’t want to forget, that’s okay too, because I can’t bear to forget you either. I’m such a selfish person, aren’t I? Do you want to forget me now?

Well, if you still don’t want to… then you must return to your profession. I love seeing you hold a scalpel most of all, okay? …”

The rest were arrangements. If she didn’t want to return to the hospital, there was a house she could use.

Look at that. Her lover didn’t want her anymore, yet she still thought of her future, still remembered her life ahead.

Zhang Mingfang shook off Su Ye’s hand, threw the letter at her, and turned to leave.

She had no strength left. She didn’t want to entangle herself anymore. It was better if no one knew each other.

Su Ye scrambled a few steps and picked up the letter with trembling hands. Tears blurred her vision, and her hands shook so much she couldn’t tear open the envelope. She tried to call out for Yue Huan, but her throat was choked with sobs.

Fortunately, Yue Chengqi silently pulled her up and led her behind a shelf. She tore the letter open for her—her own hands were shaking just as much, and tears had already soaked her collar.

“Ah Huan,” Su Ye wailed. “I can’t see… I can’t see…”

She grabbed a random piece of cloth to wipe her eyes, spreading the letter across her knees. She tried to find a gap in her blurred vision to read the words.

Yue Chengqi held her, wiping her tears, eventually burying her face in Su Ye’s shoulder and sobbing softly.

This was the first time she had truly cried out loud.

They were like two cubs abandoned by their mother—lonely, helpless, and able to find only a shred of warmth by clinging to each other.

Su Ye wiped her eyes harshly, finally managing to make out the contents.

The affection, love, and care for her were real.

The loan arrangements were finalized; there was no need to worry. Lin Wanjia also warned her that Qining would eventually decline, but since some of the money there belonged to Youle, she asked Su Ye to help if she could, to repay the favor of the two million yuan.

As for her own shares in Everguest, she would leave them for now. If she ever returned, they would be hers; if she never did, they would eventually pass to Youle.

“…Don’t worry, Little Leaf, I won’t go looking for death like before. I’ve just realized that I might need to leave all of you for a while to forget some of the past and truly find the meaning of my existence.

This doesn’t mean you are meaningless to me; I love each of you very much. You and Ah Huan must take care of yourselves. Mingfang might be sad for a long time; stay with her, okay? If Youle asks in the future, just tell her her mother got sick and went to find a cure. It wasn’t that I didn’t love her.

…I have failed you all, but I have no choice. I need a solo journey. Please forgive my departure without a word, and do not come looking for me. I will be in some corner of the world, continuing to love you.

…From an utterly selfish person.”

The letter was full of instructions, so many that the handwriting became smaller and denser toward the end. It was packed with the concerns of someone about to depart, fearing they might make a mistake.

The text was so cramped that the final signature was squeezed onto the very edge of the paper. Even with such difficulty, she still called herself an “utterly selfish person.”

The two girls huddled together, folded the paper with trembling hands, and wailed.

Su Ye choked out, “Ah Huan, I don’t have a mother anymore…”

This time, she truly didn’t have a “mother.”

Yue Chengqi had no strength left to speak. She was equally broken, her voice gone, her hands numb.

However! If parting is a mandatory course in life, then so is reunion.

Autumn, 2009—

Su Ye, who had become the renowned CEO Su, had just finished a meeting.

She was considering a partnership with a high-end fruit and vegetable brand to carve out a dedicated area in Everguest for high-spending customers. Today’s meeting was the second contact between the two parties. The first had gone well, so she had already leaked some news to gauge the market’s reaction.

Meetings were mentally exhausting. Back in her office, she dismissed everyone and curled up in her desk chair, closing her eyes and rubbing her aching temples.

Suddenly, the hurried voice of her assistant disturbed her rest.

Frowning slightly, Su Ye asked, “What is it?”

“We received a letter addressed to you.”

Su Ye paused. A letter?

“If it’s for me, just give it to me. Why the rush?”

The assistant looked at her nervously. “Because the letter is very strange. There are actually two. The return address is a guesthouse in Mountain Lake Village, Sichuan Province. Moreover, one letter was wrapped inside another, and there was a note in the middle that said—”

“Little Leaf, I don’t agree with this cooperation with the high-end produce brand. We’ll talk about the details over the phone.”

Su Ye stood up abruptly. “What is the sender’s name?”

“Ye Pingsheng.”

Su Ye was stunned. The next second, she snatched the letter. “Nonsense!” How could the name be Ye Pingsheng?

Yet the handwriting on the envelope was indeed familiar, even though the three strangers’ characters formed a name she didn’t recognize.

She had long forgotten how to cry. Trembling, she slowly tore open the inner envelope—

“If you want to catch up, call this number: 136XXXXXXX. If you want to talk business, call the guesthouse’s landline; look it up yourself. Little Leaf, I’m sorry for making you wait all these years.”

“You!” Su Ye felt her strength leave her. She braced her hands against the desk, breathless. It took a long time before she could speak again.

The assistant was scared to death.

They hadn’t intentionally opened the letter! The outer envelope was just addressed to the company. Only after opening it did they find the inner letter meant for CEO Su. They truly didn’t know! CEO Su wouldn’t be angry, would she?

She had never seen CEO Su angry before, but for a woman to build such a massive career at such a young age… if she really got mad, the assistant might just lose her job and be sent packing.

Su Ye took a moment to compose herself. She popped a candy into her mouth, clutching her chest as she stood there, finally regaining the strength to talk. “Do you know the small clinic on Weian Road run by a Doctor Zhang?”

The assistant nodded frantically.

Su Ye looked down, copied the phone number and address, and then handed the letter to the assistant. “Deliver this to the clinic within fifteen minutes. Hand it to that doctor personally. Ensure she is safe and her heart rate is normal before you return with an answer.”

As the assistant turned to run, Su Ye called out to her.

“What else?”

“Tell Doctor Zhang to call in the evening. This afternoon belongs to me.”

Stunned, the assistant could only nod. “O-Okay.”

“Also, have someone reject that company from today’s meeting. We aren’t considering the high-end produce brand for now.”

The assistant’s eyes widened—did this letter have that much impact? But she had no right to question the boss’s decisions; she could only execute them.

Su Ye held the phone number, standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, and suddenly laughed.

She knew it. She couldn’t have been abandoned. She wouldn’t be left behind…