It was the same for Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye. They led such hectic lives that they only saw the night sky when they finished working.
Li Si and Yang Sheng were helping with the funeral of Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha, so it seemed that everyone was very busy. Qi Lei had not been in the company for several days, and no one could locate him after looking around. Even Yang Sheng did not know where he had gone to.
Mu Yuchen had called him once, but the call indicated that his phone had been turned off, so he stopped trying after that as he knew very well that he would not want to be in contact with anybody throughout these few days. At least, that was what he had done when Lingtian died.
While Mu Yuchen understood and respected Qi Lei’s disappearance, Xi Xiaye was rather worried.
This was how things went by for many days. Finally, the funeral of Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha was scheduled for today.
It was a breezy morning, and the temperature was slightly low, so it was not as warm as the previous days. Wearing a windbreaker would not even withstand the cold during such days, especially in a gloomy place like a hospital. Qi Lei walked through the long walkway in a black mid-length trench coat. When he arrived at Qi Qiming’s ward, he stretched his hand, opened the door, and walked in.
Coincidentally, a nurse had just put on the intravenous drip for Qi Qiming and was about to withdraw from the room. She was shocked when she ran into Qi Lei, who gave off an extremely gloomy expression, but she also knew that the latter was Qi Qiming’s son, so she nodded and greeted him, then left.
Qi Qiming was still lying on the hospital bed, and as usual, his body still did not have any sensation.
When Qi Lei went to the side of his bed, he seemed rather cold and worn out. He took a glance at Qi Qiming in the hospital bed.
Qi Lei’s face looked a little haggard and pale. In fact, he was full of fatigue and depression. Nowadays, it was easy to sense his deep depression. While he seemed to have become another person, he was still himself at the same time…
“I came to tell you that your beloved son, Qi Lei has passed away. Gu Lingsha followed him and is now a gone case too, and their funeral is today.”
Taking a breath, Qi Lei took his hands out from his pockets, swept his fine black hair back, and brushed his face. He then continued, “No one got any advantage in this battle, and no one won either. Qi Feng was never a great brother, and neither have I. Since he killed my mother, you can also perceive it as me having pushed him off the edge of the cliff—”
Speaking of this, Qi Lei suddenly bent down and whispered into Qi Qiming’s ear, “Do you know, this is what I call karma? It’s what you’ll need to bear for the rest of your life, and the same goes for me.
“I didn’t plan to take over the Qi Kai Group, but seeing you in this condition and how the people in the company won’t be able to support it any longer, I plan to merge it with Tai Yu Corporation and together, we’ll make a new entry into the business realm. I can provide it with a new start, but I can’t give you or me a new beginning. Come to think of it, there’s been too much resentment which is all pointless, and I’ve grown tired of it. So be it. If you were to keep sleeping like this, it might be a relief for you.
“Frankly speaking, I’ve never liked Qi Kai since it has never been a good company for me. It emits a menacing aura from the very center of its core, so it’s a good thing that it’s gone now. Human obsession is a very terrifying thing. I think I can’t blame you for everything that happened between you and my mother. It’s also because of my mother’s deep obsession and competitiveness that she wouldn’t yield before you and vice versa. That’s why when she was defeated, she left nothing behind. I only see tragedy in her life. I guess it must have been very tiring for her too.
“Oh yeah, it seems that Qi Feng wasn’t very satisfied with you either, and so was I. Come to think of it, you’re quite a failure yourself. You’ve lost me before this, and now you’ve lost your other son which must be devastating for you. However, since I have to endure such pain too, I can feel better deep down.
“Okay, I shall stop here. You should live. Just live like this because such peace is also some sort of happiness for you. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.” Qi Lei had spoken a lot to Qi Qiming, so he then straightened up his stance and left calmly.
…
Qi Lei still fulfilled Qi Feng’s dying wish and buried him next to Gu Lingsha in the Qingshan Cemetery.
Gu Qiwu came unexpectedly on the day of the funeral and brought Qi Weier along. The grandpgranddaughter duo was dressed in solemn black clothes. Qi Weier’s face was still all innocent and inert as she did not seem to know what had happened, let alone understand that the concept of life and death was actually forever.
Until she saw the two monochrome photos on the tombstone and seemed to realize what all the ceremony was for, she then started screaming. Gu Qiwu hugged her in his arms and then brushed her hair to comfort her patiently while glancing at the tombstone in silence. Later on, Ah Mo helped him out of the cemetery, and Gu Qiwu left early with Qi Weier. It was obvious that he could not bear such grief.
Gu Qiwu seemed to have grown a lot older. After all, it was a gut-wrenching thing to watch the daughter die before her own father did.
Not many people came to attend the funeral since they only notified some relatives and friends. Qi Feng did not have many friends while Gu Lingsha had no other relatives around, so the funeral was as simple as it could be. Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye and his wife were there, but of course, it was not because of Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha but because of Qi Lei.
The weather today was not optimal. The gray sky looked a little gloomy. The burning white candles illuminated the two tombstones more clearly while the reflection of the flames looked a little glaring.
Watching her man next to her pluck the white flower on his chest and place it in front of Qi Feng’s grave, Xi Xiaye plucked hers slowly and placed it in front of Gu Lingsha’s tomb. When she stood back up, he immediately held her hand. There was a slight warmth in his palm that comforted her.
She turned her head and took a glimpse at him. He was talking to Qi Lei who was standing beside him in complete silence, “My condolences. Some endings are destined, and all we can do is accept it. Don’t be too sad. It’ll slowly but eventually pass. We’re still alive, aren’t we?”
His sentimental voice carried some warm consolation that Qi Lei was able to sense, so he nodded without looking at him. Then, he quietly stared at the photo of Qi Feng on the tombstone and then said hoarsely, “I understand. It won’t take me long. You should go back first. I wish to stay back alone for a while longer in silence.”
Having heard that, Mu Yuchen nodded and gazed at the sky. “Okay, but the weather doesn’t look too good. It might rain in a while, so don’t stay too long.” He raised his arm and patted Qi Lei on his shoulder as he was reminding him. Then, he left…
There was only silence left in front of the tombstone. Although the world was huge, it seemed infinitely calm at this moment.
He only stood there for a long time. Later on, he felt a faint chill on his face and instantly heard faint footsteps behind him…