DLRAS Chapter 96

Chapter 96: A brief revival before the end.

The photo album wasn’t thick, and they reached the end in about ten minutes.

Photographs are frozen moments in time; looking back at them gives a marvelous sensation. It seemed Huo Niansheng didn’t like taking pictures, but different people at different times had still left him with some old images. Chen Wengang leaned against the headboard, his fingers brushing over the photo paper. He hadn’t seen this album in his past life; it was possible someone had disposed of it.

The childhood Huo Niansheng already showed traces of striking features, and by adolescence, he had taken on an arrogant look. Even back then, he liked to lift his chin and look at people with a faint, mocking smile—exactly the same as now. Chen Wengang couldn’t help but reveal a slight smile.

The album stopped at the last page, where a photo of them taken in Las Vegas was inserted—

Huo Niansheng had his arm around him, looking languid, while Chen Wengang leaned against his shoulder. Lawyer Zhu had helped press the shutter.

Chen Wengang’s heart warmed. He didn’t know when Huo Niansheng had gotten it developed.

He asked with a smile, “How come my solo picture was put in here too?”

Huo Niansheng rested his chin on his shoulder, feigning ignorance: “I don’t know, it must have slipped in.”

“Then I’d better take it out.” Chen Wengang made a move to pull it, but Huo Niansheng held it down, refusing to let go. As they playfully struggled over the album, Huo Niansheng suddenly turned his head and kissed his ear. Chen Wengang covered his ticklish ear, laughing as he patted Huo Niansheng’s broad back.

He flipped through the album from back to front again, this time noticing more details.

“Is this your prom? Who are you dancing with?”

“I don’t remember, a female classmate I rarely spoke to. What about you?”

“Mine was also a female classmate I wasn’t very familiar with. We happened to be standing next to each other at the opening, and it wouldn’t have been gentlemanly not to ask her.”

“I see.”

Huo Niansheng went to turn on the stereo. He took a few records from the bookshelf, compared them, and selected one. The melody of a waltz drifted out. Chen Wengang understood; he swung his legs off the bed, stood up, and walked toward him.

Huo Niansheng took his hand and wrapped his other arm around his waist.

Their bodies pressed together, their steps twirling across the carpet.

Huo Niansheng asked, “I thought you were going to say you danced your first dance with Zheng Yucheng. Wasn’t he jealous when you danced with a female classmate?”

Chen Wengang realized they could now talk about these things openly. “I don’t remember. We hadn’t established our relationship back then.”

“I was many years ahead of you guys,” Huo Niansheng expressed his regret. “Otherwise, I might have pursued you right then.”

“So it’s a pity I met you too late, we wasted a lot of time,” Chen Wengang said. “But looking at it from another angle, no matter what happened, I still didn’t miss you. Heaven has been kind to me. I’ve always felt I’m a lucky person.”

They danced in the room, as if immersed in a missed prom.

In this night with no outsiders, their topics wandered endlessly, even naturally drifting to Huo Zhenfei’s “wedding of the century.”

Huo Niansheng admitted, “Huo Yingfei isn’t entirely wrong; what matters most to wealthy families is putting on a grand show. I saw the grandeur of their wedding back then, and you can still find it in the news. Have you ever thought that this is what a wedding should look like?”

He teased with a smile, “Only you are so easy to fool. You get brushed off with minimal effort, sneaking abroad to just go through the procedures, and you’re completely satisfied.”

Chen Wengang gave him a smile, “Then have you ever thought that being the center of attention comes with even greater pressure? That’s not what I want.”

Huo Niansheng murmured, “If we—”

Unknowingly, their dance steps came to a halt.

Chen Wengang gripped his arms, stopping whatever he was going to say next.

Huo Niansheng lowered his head, his neck slowly leaning forward until he captured his lips, soft and warm. Chen Wengang closed his eyes, welcoming his kiss. The lover before him was like a glass of aphrodisiac and hallucinogenic absinthe, bearing a poisonous spell that made one sink deeply after a single sip.

A thunderclap exploded in the sky like a thunderbolt.

Chen Wengang was startled. With a snap, the curtains were suddenly whipped up by the wind.

A torrential downpour began without warning, pelting noisily against the glass doors.

He let go of Huo Niansheng’s hand and moved swiftly to the balcony, reaching out to shut the French windows.

Chen Wengang stood there, looking up at the pitch-black sky. “The weather forecast didn’t mention thunderstorms.”

Huo Niansheng came over and hugged his waist tightly, looking up as well. Lightning tore through the sky, followed by another crack of thunder.

“When has the weather forecast ever been accurate?”

They could no longer continue dancing. The music was no longer melodious, and their ears were filled with cannon-like explosions, like some ominous omen.

Huo Niansheng said, “Let’s rest early.”

The thunder was dense, rumbling on until midnight. At first, it crashed every two minutes, startling people so much that it was hard to sleep. Chen Wengang couldn’t fall asleep; he pressed against Huo Niansheng’s chest, knowing the other man hadn’t fallen asleep either.

The two embraced quietly in the dark, feeling each other’s breathing.

Later, it gradually became less intense, turning into thick, muffled thunder, rolling in the distance, as if an endless train was passing over the vault of heaven.

It wasn’t until close to midnight that Chen Wengang finally managed to doze off for a bit amidst the roaring rain.

Hazily hearing the clock strike twelve, Huo Niansheng kissed his forehead. “You sleep, I’ll go out and take a look.”

Outside the door was Uncle Zhong, knocking.

Huo Niansheng draped his clothes over his shoulders and followed him to the door of Huo Kaishan’s bedroom. Huo Zhenfei, Huo Yingfei, Huo Jingsheng, and the others were already standing in a row. They had already gone in to see their grandfather. Huo Zhenfei gestured to Huo Niansheng, “You’re the only one left.”

Huo Niansheng pushed the door open and went in.

Huo Kaishan lay on his back in bed. His bedroom was still converted into a makeshift ward. He was hooked up to monitoring equipment, leaning against a pile of pillows at the head of the bed. His mental state was surprisingly good; he looked even more radiant than he had during lunch.

A phrase popped into Huo Niansheng’s mind.

Terminal lucidity.

At this moment, Huo Kaishan was like an ordinary grandfather, giving some final instructions to his grandson. As he spoke, he eventually fell into reminiscence: “I took a nap this afternoon, and I don’t know why, but I only dreamed of Fenglai coming to see me. Can you understand? No matter how many children you have, the feeling of becoming a parent for the first time is always different. When your father was born back then, he was such a tiny lump. The nurse held him and put him in my hands. He was so soft, I didn’t dare use any force. I thought, this is my son, I, Huo Kaishan, have a son…”

The corner of Huo Niansheng’s lips twitched slightly, as if he was listening, but his eyes held no expression.

Huo Kaishan was immersed in his idealized memories of his eldest son. He started becoming muddled and waved at Huo Niansheng: “Come a little closer.”

Huo Niansheng stepped a bit closer, bending over and lowering his head to him.

Huo Kaishan frowned, the light in his eyes scattered. The transition from glowing vitality to a blurred consciousness seemed to happen in a mere instant.

He looked at Huo Niansheng, and after a long while, murmured a sigh: “Fenglai…”

Unhurried, Huo Niansheng pushed the door open, walked out, and found the medical staff: “You guys go take a look to see if resuscitation is still needed.”

Second Uncle Huo, who had been smoking, put out his cigarette, and Third Uncle Huo strode quickly inside.

Huo Niansheng returned to the bedroom and started getting dressed. Chen Wengang was woken up again; he sat up and asked, “What happened?”

“Grandfather is passing.” Huo Niansheng patted him. “It’s fine, we’ve known it was coming for a long time. Keep resting.”

“I’ll go with you.” Chen Wengang yawned and went to find his clothes.

“No need.”

Just then, Huo Zhenfei came knocking on the door, followed closely by an anxious Huo Yuxiang.

It was only natural for the child to be scared. The hallway was chaotic with footsteps, medical staff flying past, and an ambulance parked at the entrance, silently flashing its piercing red and blue lights. Actually, it was just going through the motions; the doctors upstairs had already shaken their heads.

Second Uncle Huo demanded that their father be sent to the hospital for emergency resuscitation again, and Third Uncle Huo couldn’t very well say no, so it was decided.

The father patted his son’s back, gesturing for him to stay in this room.

Huo Zhenfei looked at Chen Wengang. “We all have to go to the hospital now, my wife included. We aren’t going to let the kid tag along, but there are no adults left at home. Could I trouble you to stay and keep an eye on him?”

Chen Wengang paused for a moment, nodded in agreement, and reached out to hold Huo Yuxiang’s hand.

The ambulance quickly started up, and soon the Huo residence was left empty and completely silent.

A short while later, there were two knocks on the door. Jiang Cai, wrapped in a blanket, hesitantly poked her head in. “Can I stay with you guys?”

Talking to herself, she slipped inside. “I don’t ask for much, just make some room on the sofa for me.”

Chen Wengang asked, “You didn’t go with them?”

Jiang Cai looked lost. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. No one notified me, and no one cared to check on me. I’m just an outsider anyway; I might not even have food to eat by tomorrow morning.”

Huo Yuxiang was tucked into Huo Niansheng’s blankets, and Chen Wengang lay down fully clothed, patting the child to coax him to sleep for a while.

Huo Yuxiang couldn’t sleep. “Is Grandpa going to die?”

Chen Wengang said, “It’s possible.”

Jiang Cai was heartless, feeling as though she were watching a fire from across the river. “Then things are going to be very lively tomorrow, huh?”

Chen Wengang said, “Yes.”

It stayed like this until daybreak, and indeed, it was lively. The reporters had finally waited for this day. Headlines were plastered everywhere, reporting the news of the passing of the veteran shipping magnate Huo Kaishan. Chen Wengang waited until he received a call from Huo Niansheng, whose tone remained calm and collected: “Have you eaten?”

“I’ve eaten, the kitchen made some food,” Chen Wengang said.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.”

Chen Wengang looked out the window. The torrential rain was pouring down, as if even the heavens were lamenting. “Mm, stay safe on the road.”

He didn’t actually have much to worry about. The passing of the Huo family patriarch at this time indeed had little to do with him. According to the trajectory of his previous life, once the will was announced, Third Uncle Huo’s faction was originally bound to win. Although Second Uncle Huo might not accept it, he didn’t yet have the ability to successfully seize power on his own.

He only stayed at the Huo residence because he was dragging along two burdens—Huo Yuxiang was still young and clung to him, refusing to let him leave, and Jiang Cai, even with her spectator’s mindset in this serious and gloomy atmosphere, felt that relying on one of her “own people” gave her a bit of peace of mind.

Chen Wengang stayed all the way until the afternoon, unexpectedly waiting for Huo Yingfei to return home first. “Oh, you haven’t left yet.”

Chen Wengang was in the living room with Huo Yuxiang reading an English book, and nodded to him.

Huo Yingfei’s eyes were red; whether it was genuine or fake, he at least looked like he had cried. However, the indifferent expression on his face told another story. He was about to head upstairs when he suddenly thought of something, turned back, and spoke up: “Do you remember what I told you yesterday…”

Chen Wengang frowned. “Which sentence?”

Huo Yingfei glanced at his nephew. In front of him, he didn’t repeat it directly, but instead put on a face of divulging a secret: “Actually, it’s a piece of news I heard—although Grandfather’s final will hasn’t been announced yet, based on his intentions while he was alive, it’s highly likely he included a clause like this: as long as Huo Niansheng enters into a normal marriage—to put it bluntly, if he finds a woman to marry—as a reward, he won’t be short on benefits. And if they have a child, based on what I said yesterday, you can guess how much his wife would get.”

Chen Wengang gave a slight smile. “You telling me this means you think Huo Niansheng will compromise?”

Huo Yingfei also started laughing. “Do you think I want to see him get an extra two hundred million for nothing? On the contrary, I hope he doesn’t compromise.”

Chen Wengang gave him a sidelong glance but said nothing.

Huo Yingfei stared at him with ill intent: “Anyway, given Grandfather’s temper, there’s no way that kind of marriage you two have will fool him. Grandfather started having my dad look out for suitable marriage partners for Huo Niansheng a few years ago. The old man was incredibly stubborn; when his temper flared, everyone had to listen to him. Why would he just drop it just because someone else said to drop it? So, you keep insisting that you two are true love, but now he can only choose one between the benefits and his ‘true love.’ Which one do you think Huo Niansheng will choose? Or perhaps you could agree to him having a sham marriage?”

Huo Yuxiang, listening in from the side, asked, “What is a sham marriage?”

Chen Wengang rested a hand on his head. “It’s a fake marriage. You’ll understand when you’re older.”

Stared at by Chen Wengang’s reproachful gaze, Huo Yingfei curled his lips. “Pardon the offense. It’s actually because I have a long-standing grudge against Huo Niansheng that I’ve provoked you time and time again. But this is also giving you a heads-up in advance. Take your time to think about it yourself.” With that, he stomped up the stairs.

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