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Chapter 137: Ten years later.
“Mr. Chen generally doesn’t accept interviews,” Amanda refused, “I’m sorry, which media did you say you’re from?”
“I’m a reporter from New City Weekly.”
“I’ll pass on your message and let him decide for himself. Please go back for today.”
“Listen to me, listen to me,” Xu Niansheng jogged alongside her, “It’s about Mr. Chen. Since he was awarded the title of Order of the British Empire two years ago, I know he’s highly regarded in the public, but after all…”
He made a gesture as if to prevent others from eavesdropping and lowered his voice: “After all, there were rumors… At last month’s charity event, Councilor Wang hinted to him in person that the source of his initial wealth was dubious, wasn’t that the implication? So I think he urgently needs a good in-depth interview, which can positively promote him. Of course, it’s best to be exclusive…”
However, Amanda was too busy to listen to his rambling. She had three stacked document boxes in her arms, and there was a glass door ahead. She freed one hand to tap her employee card, and the glass door opened with a click.
But Xu Niansheng seized the opportunity and slipped in smoothly.
She immediately urged him to leave: “Hey, I told you, you…”
Xu Niansheng, thick-skinned, made a pleading expression and requested to see someone. At this moment, two figures approached from the end of the corridor.
The tall one was a man with a scarred face, dressed in a black windbreaker, and the short one was a dog beside him, a black and yellow German Shepherd. The dog was old, and its gait was no longer as sprightly. However, many had heard of its name. This Mr. Chen never let go of the leash, and wherever he went, the dog followed, extremely protective of its owner. Its achievements were remarkable, so it was best not to provoke it if possible.
When they reached them, the man had a calm expression, but emanated a daunting aura, making people hesitant to speak.
Just as Amanda was about to explain, Xu Niansheng’s eyes lit up. With thick skin, he took the initiative to hand over his business card.
Mr. Chen was probably not the richest tycoon in Jin City, but he was definitely a legend. From a humble background to becoming a well-known philanthropist in Jin City, his past was full of drama. However, he was low-key, rarely appearing in public interviews despite doing many charitable deeds.
Xu Niansheng had already made up his mind. He was determined to secure this interview, even if it meant sleeping on the streets for three months, and he must get it.
Out of politeness, Mr. Chen accepted the business card. He seemed to want to say something, but hesitated for a moment.
Xu Niansheng immediately seized the opportunity: “You see, here it says ‘Niansheng Foundation’. And my name, Xu Niansheng. What a coincidence, right? Rest assured, based on this serendipity…”
Mr. Chen waved his hand, indicating he didn’t need to continue: “Do you have time on Thursday morning?”
Xu Niansheng readily agreed. But he was slick, asking around as Amanda led him to the visitor registration room.
Amanda seemed reluctant to engage, merely giving him a glance and saying, “You’re lucky.”
The interview proceeded as scheduled.
After the magazine was published, Xu Niansheng sent over a dozen copies to the foundation.
On the day they arrived, the copies circulated among the staff, who discussed them with laughter, but some were not pleased.
An assistant from the secretary’s office, Joe, had a sour expression as he read through the article, finding fault with every sentence.
Colleagues teased, “Rare opportunity to openly discuss the boss’s gossip, and you’re not eager to listen, still so cynical?”
Joe grumbled like a boiling kettle, “They promised an in-depth interview but barely covered him. Instead, they focused on our foundation’s projects over the years. Eight out of ten questions were digging into Mr. Chen’s emotional privacy. How is this positive publicity?”
Colleagues understood his thoughts, “Reporters know best what the audience wants to see.”
They glanced at him again, “Mr. Chen is a man of understanding. If he’s not willing to speak, others can’t force him.”
A figurative dark cloud loomed over Joe’s head.
Colleagues found it amusing how sincere he was, but they couldn’t directly discourage him. Despite Mr. Chen’s facial disfigurement, his personal charm remained strong, attracting admirers continuously, including this talented returnee. Joe had good qualifications and performed well at work, but after five years in the foundation and two years of pursuing Mr. Chen, all he received were polite acknowledgments.
A colleague patted his shoulder.
As it neared quitting time, most of the staff had left the building. Joe voluntarily stayed behind to work overtime, and before he knew it, it was past nine o’clock.
Returning from the restroom, he noticed a faint red color near the greenery in the corner of the corridor.
Joe’s heart skipped a beat—
Everyone in the foundation knew that Mr. Chen always carried a talisman…
He cleared his throat, suppressing his pounding heart, and knocked on the door of the foundation president’s office.
Sure enough, Mr. Chen and Amanda were also working late. Seeing what Joe held, Mr. Chen hesitated for a moment, then immediately reached for his neck. In Joe’s memory, Mr. Chen was always calm, never showing such visible emotional fluctuations.
It turned out that the string of his talisman had broken. Mr. Chen accepted the talisman with multiple thanks, appearing extremely grateful.
It was getting late, and Mr. Chen suggested they shouldn’t rush, inviting the two of them for a late-night snack. So they went to a nearby congee shop.
They ordered three bowls of boat congee and four plates of light side dishes. After finishing, Amanda drove home on her own.
Joe actually had a car parked nearby in the parking lot, but he inexplicably said he didn’t drive today.
So Mr. Chen offered to drive him home.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Joe’s mind was wandering. He glanced sideways, and as the car moved forward, the light and shadow danced on Mr. Chen’s face.
He couldn’t resist eventually saying, “That talisman…”
Mr. Chen smiled and said, “Thank you. If it were really lost, I would have lost half my life.”
What Joe wanted to say wasn’t about that, “So, it was from that… Huo…”
Mr. Chen didn’t deny it, “It was ‘that’ Mr. Huo who gave it. Weren’t you discussing it recently? Oh, even if you didn’t see that report, seeing the name of our foundation, you should know him, right?”
Niansheng Foundation was established in memory of Mr. Huo Niansheng.
Even if some people in society didn’t understand the details, every employee had heard of their organizational culture during orientation.
Joe felt a mix of emotions, unsure of how to continue the conversation.
In fact, he had once mustered the courage to confess to Mr. Chen. He was gracefully rejected, without causing him any embarrassment. But rejection was still rejection. Mr. Chen made excuses, saying he was much older than Joe and wished him to find a more suitable partner.
At the time, Joe didn’t really listen—turning thirty soon, and entering a more mature stage of life, he completely understood what he wanted. Mr. Chen wasn’t even forty yet, just ten years apart, what was the big deal? What about his face? His past? Joe just hoped he could give them a chance, and he would prove they could be happy together.
Mr. Chen just looked at him calmly and gently, his gaze like the dusk descending into a valley, with a sense of sedimentation over the years.
Joe left, feeling disheartened.
Now, under the cover of night, Joe daringly asked, “Was your relationship good before?”
Mr. Chen remained silent for a moment but answered indirectly, “Actually, I rarely mention him these years.”
Joe closed his mouth, but he sensed Mr. Chen’s desire to say more.
Mr. Chen spoke slowly and deliberately, “Not mentioning him is because I’m afraid to say too much. I’d get trapped in pain and unable to extricate myself, always exposing that wound for others to see, endlessly talking about it, which would annoy them. Others also need to start new lives. But not mentioning him at all, over these years, I’m afraid nobody would remember him anymore; nobody would accompany me in remembering him. I’ve always missed him.”
Joe said, “But he’s been gone for so many years… I feel that having a deep-seated love in the past, having someone unforgettable hidden in your heart, those are precious memories. But people always have to look forward.”
He treaded carefully, “You don’t have to forget these, but you can also carry them and embark on a new life, right?”
Mr. Chen smiled faintly, “Everyone advises me like this. Actually, at this point, am I not looking forward? I feel I’ve been quite strong. As for what you just asked, I don’t even dare say our relationship was good because, when he was alive, I never even said a word expressing love. After he passed away, my pain only multiplied endlessly, never reducing, much less disappearing. If it weren’t for him asking me to live well, I might not have been able to hold on until now. This was the last thing he entrusted to me, fortunately, I managed to do it—did I do well enough? As for other matters, I’m old and feeble, really unable to handle them.”
Joe listened intently for a while, then came to his senses, scratched his head, cleared his throat, and joked, “It’s a pity; it seems I really have no chance. But good news, this time it’s not a ‘good person card’; I’ve finally been sentenced to death clearly.”
Mr. Chen said, “You’ll definitely find someone more suitable.”
The car stopped at an intersection, the red light flashed twice, then the green light came on, and Mr. Chen continued to drive forward. In two more blocks, they would reach Joe’s home. This residential area was newly built, with incomplete facilities. The nearby streetlights were still not powered on, so Mr. Chen slowed down.
Ahead was the entrance to the residential area, and Mr. Chen parked the car on the side of the road.
He said, “Here we are; go upstairs quickly and rest.”
On the way home, Mr. Chen suddenly remembered something. He looked at the date and almost forgot that this month only had thirty days.
Early the next morning, he called the florist, picked up a bouquet of deep red roses on the way, and drove to the cemetery.
Halley lay in the back seat, and when the car stopped, it jumped down and followed Mr. Chen familiarly toward the grave.
His visits to see Huo Niansheng weren’t just on holidays. Every first day of the month, Mr. Chen would come here to visit him. Besides this fixed time, he would come anytime he felt good or bad. In the first few years, Mr. Chen always brought white flowers, white chrysanthemums, lilies, carnations, gardenias… As he visited more frequently, he gradually began to bring in various seasonal flowers.
His mood when coming here was no longer like mourning but more like going on a date with a lover.
Mr. Chen placed the roses in front of the grave, and the person in the photo looked at him with a gentle gaze.
Through wind and rain, the photo seemed to have shed its unrestrained temperament, leaving only gentleness.
Mr. Chen wiped the photo, then sat down on the steps in front of the grave. The weather was beautiful, the wind was clear, and Halley lazily lay beside him, listening to Mr. Chen’s soft murmurs, gossiping about recent events, and wagging its tail while almost falling asleep with its eyes closed.
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