A brave man may not live, but he cannot die

Chapter 236 The Journey of Life (Part 2)
Once the car door is closed, all the noise of summer is shut out.

The price tag of tens of millions not only buys you a Rolls-Royce emblem that makes all other cars give way, but also over 130 kilograms of soundproofing material. The interior of the Rolls-Royce is quieter than a library, allowing the young woman to clearly hear the voice on the other end of the phone.

She heard her father's satisfied smile.

Mi Yutong has a good father.

Her mother was a moderately famous actress in Jianghai City, having acted in a few lukewarm TV dramas and even appeared on Jianghai TV's morning news channel. Somehow, she fell for a man with low education and a poor background. Later, she had a child, but died from postpartum hemorrhage, leaving her daughter with only a few photo albums and a father she hadn't even married.

Not long after my mother passed away, my father found another woman. At that time, he had not yet made his fortune; his company was just starting out, and he was so busy that he had no time to take care of a baby who was less than a month old. He called her a wife, but in reality, he found a young nanny to take care of the baby.

Her stepmother treated her very well in every way. Even after her younger brother was born, her stepmother still valued her more than her son, always thinking of her daughter first in everything she did. This might be related to her father, who was not highly educated but did not have the patriarchal mindset common in rural areas. Her stepmother was a smart woman who knew that her husband would not make a choice between the two and that if she dared to cause trouble, she would be kicked out without hesitation. That's why she was content to be a wealthy housewife raising her child.

When I was about two or three years old, my father's real estate company acquired eight plots of land in Jianghai City. Nobody knew where a young man from the countryside got his connections or the money, but everyone laughed at him for throwing money away by buying dilapidated land on the outskirts of the city for grazing cattle and planting grass.

However, once the vigorous environmental protection campaign began and the Jianghai City Industrial Zone plan was established, those few dilapidated plots of land became one of the few areas in the vast city where factories could be built.

Everyone was stunned, wondering whether it was just pure luck or genuine foresight.

Because no one was on the land and it wasn't subject to demolition, while other real estate companies in the industrial zone were still negotiating compensation with farmers, my dad's industrial parks began to be built one after another.

His peers all advised him to sell the completed industrial parks, hoping to recoup funds at a high price and then use the proceeds to bid for other land parcels to leverage his investments and make more money—this was the practice of all real estate companies at the time. But my father didn't choose to do that. Apart from the necessary capital recovery, he didn't sell any of the most prime locations in his industrial parks. It was an era where timing was everything, and domestic and international giants were scrambling to negotiate leases with him to establish production bases in Jianghai. His asking price was simple—

Exchange industry resources for factory buildings.

By the time Mi Yutong reached high school, a behemoth enterprise encompassing education, logistics, new energy industries, real estate, and retail had already risen above the rivers and seas.

My dad has become a legend who frequently appears on various financial programs. Even his rural background has become part of the legendary story. The times create heroes. Isn't the story of a rural youth from humble beginnings standing at the top of the world a microcosm of economic take-off?

At this point, no one cared where the business legend got the money to buy land and build the industrial park.

Chamber of Commerce President, Representative, Honorary Alumnus, British Knight, Philanthropist
In Mi Yutong's view, her father is her father.

He was very kind and approachable, with no airs whatsoever. He liked to joke with his daughter with a smile, and when she threw a tantrum, he would pout and beg for forgiveness. He would wear red clothes on Christmas and leave sneakers and bags by his children's beds.
Mi Yutong's father has never missed a single parent-teacher conference since she was a child. Even on weekdays after school, he would take time to pick her up by car and then take his daughter to eat KFC or Saizeriya, which his wife looked down upon.

She always felt that her father was projecting all the guilt and affection he felt for their deceased mother onto her. He wasn't as doting on her younger brother; sometimes he was even quite strict with him. She didn't know what her father's feelings for their mother were really like. Her father was a womanizer, so much so that even she, his daughter, knew that all sorts of women frequently entered the boss's office, while her stepmother pretended not to see it and happily maintained the family.

No one is perfect, and this was a bad flaw. Because of this, Mi Yutong had seriously talked to her father about it several times, but he always smiled mischievously and said that they were all friends and there was no extramarital affair. Mi Yutong couldn't do anything about it; she found it hard to get angry, after all, besides his flaws, her father had many more virtues.

He is a very compassionate person who has established three or four charitable foundations—not the kind of tools that rich people use to avoid taxes, but genuinely do good deeds.

He built Hope Primary School, paid tuition for students in mountainous areas, built roads and bridges for his hometown, and was always the first to donate money and goods during major disasters. People always laughed at him, saying that he had the disease of a richest man before he even became one. He would shake the Buddhist beads in his hand and say, "What do you know?"

Mi Yutong knew that her father was genuinely doing good deeds, and he never had the condescending attitude of the rich—this could be seen from his attitude towards her boyfriend.

As a girl in her adolescence, inexperienced in matters of the heart, having someone she likes and being in a relationship, she naturally hopes, like the most mainstream view of love in this era, to consummate the marriage with her lover, grow old together, and spend her life together.

But Quinn's family background was worlds apart from the Mi family's. He was a true peasant. Being a little smarter or having better grades meant nothing to a wealthy family. So what if you got a perfect score in a competition? Have you ever learned horseback riding?
Quinn was a tutor hired by his father. His father didn't look down on him because of his age; on the contrary, because they were peers, he believed Quinn could better tutor his daughter. He offered Quinn the same salary as tutors from top universities like Tsinghua and Peking University, and often invited him to meals, treating him as an equal.
The father had actually noticed their relationship a long time ago, but he said nothing, not even about what they were "tutoring" in their locked room. Starting in their senior year of high school, he began to occasionally take Quinn to various business events, where he would seriously discuss current affairs with him and share all sorts of experiences.
Gradually, even someone as inexperienced as Mi Yutong could sense that her father was intentionally grooming Quinn. Their relationship was less like that of tutor and parent, more like master and apprentice, or even father and son.
My dad has mentioned more than once that he should have Quinn study finance, and after he returns to China, he should have him join the company and start from the bottom, so that he can be independent within five years.
In the girl's eyes, this meant that her father had approved Quinn as his son-in-law and was making the usual efforts to arrange their future.

Mi Yutong inherited her mother's beauty. Although arranged marriages and intermarriages were no longer considered ancient and feudal practices in this era, many people—heads of large corporations and owners of state-owned enterprises with powerful backgrounds—had half-jokingly, half-seriously mentioned to her father that they wanted to become in-laws in the future, then solemnly introduced their sons' education, special skills, and so on.
Quinn is no match for them at all. Although Mi Yutong thinks her boyfriend is the best in the world, realistically speaking, given the choice between those young talents from equally privileged backgrounds and a shrewd man with a father who is an orphan from a rural area, she would never choose the latter.

But that's what he did.

The only reason for this could be that his love for his daughter outweighs everything else.

Yet this very father smiled with relief after hearing Quinn's words.

"Yutong can't live without her father, and my future children can't live without their grandfather. Don't commit suicide, I'll find a way to save you."

Her father had never smiled at her like that before. It wasn't the smile of an elder to a younger person, but the smile of a man to another man.

An indescribable unease welled up from the bottom of my heart, perhaps because of Quinn's words, or perhaps because of my father's attitude. The June sun slanted in through the windows of the Rolls-Royce, and bright red banners cheering for the college entrance examination fluttered at the school gate. Students circled around the luxury cars that were blocking the road, and white contrails of airplanes drifted across the azure sky.

She was supposed to finish high school this summer, and then board a plane with her father, stepmother, and brother to say goodbye—hand in hand with Quinn, they would arrive in England, study at an old university full of British charm, and see each other's sleeping faces every morning when they opened their eyes.
There was a loud knocking and commotion on the other end of the phone. Dad must be in the study, because Mi Yutong could hear the paper shredder working at full speed. After a moment, Dad began to speak:
“I didn’t misjudge you. I’m not worried about Yutong. Even if I’m not prepared at all, you will take good care of her.”

Quinn said nothing, but listened quietly.

Her father's voice was urgent, and Mi Yutong could not hear it clearly, but she did not dare to get closer. She did not know what had happened. The driver was begging the traffic police to make way for him. She watched all this and felt only fear.

Do you remember the apartment I took you to?

Quinn gave a faint "hmm".

"Open the bedside table in the master bedroom. Inside is a safe; the combination is Yutong's mother's birthday. There are bank cards inside—American, British, Swiss. You can use them anytime. Do whatever you want with them. I believe in you; your future won't be any worse than mine."

“I’m not worried about Yutong because of you, but not Xijue. He’s only sixteen this year. He’s different from you. He doesn’t know how dangerous the world is, and he can’t hold onto anything. You have to help him.” “There are authorizations for five offshore funds in the safe. I’ve already signed them. You just need to add your name and it will be valid. The money is clean. Half will go to Yutong, and half to Xijue. Consider Yutong’s share as your dowry. As for Xijue, you need to manage it carefully. Give it to him only when he has control over the money.”

"If you can't hold on to it in your whole life, then being a small citizen with a little money is better than gambling it all away and being cheated out of it. I won't be around anymore, so you have to be a good teacher to him."

"As for those properties, I haven't taught you how to transfer ownership yet, but I trust you; you can learn the methods yourself."

The phone was silent for a long time.

"You three, one serving each."

Quinn replied, "I don't need to. I will."

"No, you have to take one. I haven't said anything particularly sweet to you, but I really treat you like a son."

Dad paused, then said abruptly, "Because you and I are both poor kids from the countryside."

Quinn smiled.

Perhaps it was just a misperception, or perhaps Mi Yutong was simply too flustered at that moment.

She had never seen such a smile on her boyfriend's face before. It wasn't gratitude, joy, or being flattered, nor was it like an orphan suddenly feeling fatherly love. It was just a simple smile, like a cold-blooded animal giving a slight twitch of its lips in response to hearing the funniest joke.

"Let's not talk about that anymore. My secretary has already bought the plane tickets. We'll pick up Xijue at 3 PM and leave immediately for Singapore and then transfer to the UK."

"If possible, your second child with Yutong, a daughter, is also fine. Let her take the surname Mi."

“My sins are too grave to live. Only when I die can Yutong and Xijue live well, and only then will the money I gave you be truly clean and not coveted by anyone.”

"Don't worry, I won't commit suicide. At least I won't die before you arrive in England."

There was the sound of a door being broken down on the other end of the phone, and many people were shouting things like "Put your phone down" and "Hands up!" The call was disconnected shortly afterward.

The driver finally managed to persuade the traffic cop, and got into the car looking disheveled with several tickets in hand. He asked Quinn, "The boss told me to do whatever you say. Where are we going? The airport?"

Quinn took Mi Yutong's hand, pulled her into his arms, and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Uncle Mi booked the wrong tickets."

"Book a direct flight to the UK, there should be tickets available tomorrow. Find a place to stay first, no rush."

The dream is flickering.

At this moment, what Celia saw was almost gray, as if it belonged to "Mi Yutong", and extremely suppressed emotions filled her thoughts.

The moment the car started moving, her dream began to leap. She saw Quinn shake off the driver with her. She saw her younger brother running towards them in a panic. She saw Quinn carrying a suitcase and had booked tickets; they hadn't taken the college entrance exam.
She saw herself crying in his arms, while news of a major drug lord's capture was broadcast on television.

Will we go to England together?

"of course."

The dream abruptly ended at that moment, followed by an eerie gray mist that drifted in, flashing by again and again.
To her surprise, Mi Yutong found herself back on the morning after her college entrance exam in mathematics.

The Rolls-Royce with gold stripes wasn't parked at the school gate. Quinn waved to himself, flashing a confident smile.

The afternoon English class ended smoothly, and my dad picked me up and even drove Quinn home.

The second day, the third day.
When the college entrance exam was over, the principal came. Quinn told him that it was all taken care of and to make recruitment banners. The principal was so happy that he almost jumped for joy.

The stepmother cooked a table full of dishes, and the father got completely drunk, so Quinn was told to stay at their house.

That night, the girl lost her virginity.

They went to England as they had hoped, and Quinn completed his studies in just two years. He then began an internship at an investment company in England.
She dreamt that they returned to their hometown, Quinn's name began appearing frequently after her father's, and he proposed to her under the sycamore tree at their alma mater. She nodded, tears streaming down her face.
She dreamed of a pure white wedding dress, she dreamed of her father and stepmother wiping away tears at the wedding, and she dreamed of the first morning after her marriage.
When his father passed away at the age of eighty-two, Quinn, who had once been the richest man in the world, wore mourning clothes to see him off on his final journey and cried so hard at his grave that he couldn't lift his head.

She dreamt of a perfect life: a loving husband and wife, many children, and a peaceful youth, middle age, and old age spent in love and happiness.
Finally, she returned to Temurian.

In her dream, she saw a dying star, extinguished, falling onto a desolate, gray, foggy land.

That is
sun.

(End of this chapter)