Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=3975255
this translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
The voice on the phone was crying, and it sounded extremely desolate. Lu Zhiqiao's scalp went numb when she heard it, and immediately realized who "she" was, and couldn't help but gasped.
The chairman, the woman she once admired so much, is gone?
She is not familiar with the chairman, nor does she have much of a relationship with her. Over the years, the other party has lived in seclusion, and she has hardly seen a shadow. In her memory, she has become more and more faded and distant. But when such a person who had no sense of existence suddenly left one day, she realized that there was a hidden emotion in her heart, and then she felt a strong sense of sadness.
Listening to Shu Minxi's trembling and choked voice, she was overcome with grief and regret, as if what had passed away was not a person, but an era.
In a flash, it has been many years.
"When did this happen?"
"Half an hour ago, brain-dead." There was a pause and a sob, "I'm in the hospital now, and I've already contacted the funeral home."
Lu Zhiqiao's heart twitched, and her eyes became a little wet. She is allergic to the word "death", and now, many years later she encountered it again. The fear and sadness were still fresh in her memory. She held the phone and thought for a while, then said, "I'm here at the company, don't worry."
"After getting off work, can you come to my house?"
"Okay." She agreed without hesitation.
After a long silence, the phone was hung up..
Lu Zhiqiao stared at her phone and sighed. Two days ago, Shu Minxi returned to the company and she seemed to be in good spirits. She thought she could be liberated, but she was caught off guard when she was promoted. Within two days, this person left again, and today she received bad news.
Many things are piled on top of each other. Piled up like a mountain, and they could not react in time.
Another call came in.
A subordinate.
Two days ago, there was a slight change in the company's personnel, and the overall company ushered in a promotion. After she became the vice president, Sun Jian, the former sales manager, took over as the director, managing the three departments of sales, marketing, and public relations. In the past two days, she and Sun Jian have been doing the handovers, and there are a lot of things to do. Moving the office is all "stolen" time.
Lu Zhiqiao answered the phone and talked for three to five minutes. She couldn't make out a few words, so she simply continued.
She hung up, looked at the document she was editing, and decided to temporarily put them aside. Because in addition to sending it to Qi Yan, she also needs to explain in person, fearing that something might go wrong. So she might as well wait until she's not busy.
When Lu Zhiqiao returned to the office, it was already ten past six.
Rain is pouring outside, and the bean-sized drops pattered obliquely on the window glass with the wind in between. The sky was gloomy and dim, and there was a long queue of crowded vehicles on the road, with red and yellow tail lights converging.
God is crying too.
Lu Zhiqiao called her daughter and said she wouldn't go back for dinner. The child was laughing happily on the phone, with Qi Yan's voice beside her, vaguely responding and eager to hang up first. She looked out the window at the misty rain and sighed, then turned around to pack up and leave.
….
The road was a bit congested, and Lu Zhiqiao drove for an hour to arrive at Shu Minxi's place. Since Shu Minxi had called security in advance, the guard let her go.
The gate of the courtyard was open, and lights were on in every room on every floor of the house. Lu Zhiqiao parked the car inside, closed the gate, and entered the house. The maid who opened the door hesitated to speak when she saw her, turned her gaze upstairs then sighed.
Lu Zhiqiao's heart understood, went upstairs and knocked on the door and gently pushed it open.
The room was dim, with only a wall lamp turned on. Shu Minxi sat alone on the window sill, with her knees bent to support her arms, the other leg straight, her back leaning on the cushion, staring out of the window in a daze.
"Sister Minxi." Lu Zhiqiao called her and walked over slowly.
The woman turned her head at the sound, her pale face showing fatigue, her hair a bit messy, her clothes wrinkled, as if she had suddenly aged a few years. She looked at Lu Zhiqiao and her lips moved slightly, "You're here.
She had cried, her eyes and nose were red, and she looked haggard.
Lu Zhiqiao sat next to her, wanting to hold her hand, but feeling a bit uncomfortable, so she grabbed her wrist. Many comforting words rushed to her lips, unable to speak for a moment. Finally deciding to clasp the woman's hands.
Lightning flashed across the sky, and thunder boomed in the sky, and the rain became heavier.
The two sat quietly, and neither of them spoke. To those who know, her best friend has passed away. To those who don't, it was as if she parted from her lover—the so-called strong feelings are nothing but that. The more Lu Zhiqiao thinks about it, the more she can't figure it out.
Grief is contagious, and within a few minutes of sitting down, she was choked up. Lightning, muffled thunder, and crackling rain outside the window knocked her emotions in the quiet atmosphere at the moment.
"She's already been sent to the funeral home." Shu Minxi said hoarsely.
"Cremation is tomorrow morning."
Funeral home, farewell, cremation. These words exploded in Lu Zhiqiao's mind like bombs, instantly evoking her memories of that place, which she was not unfamiliar to her at all. "So fast? Don't you need to... publish an obituary in the company?"
"She wanted to go quietly."
"Does Saki know?"
Shu Minxi was slightly startled, her face darkened: "I didn't inform her."
The three intertwined with each other and formed a huge mystery. Lu Zhiqiao was aroused by gossip. She often felt that she must have joined the company because of fate. Otherwise, how could it be so coincidental that everyone she met was just like herself. But obviously, now is not the time for gossip.
"Tomorrow morning..." She looked at Shu Minxi inquiringly, "I'll go too."
Shu Minxi turned her head and a hint of surprise flashed in her chaotic black eyes before nodding for a moment, "Sure. Actually, there aren't many people, just me, you, her brother, and a few girls she has sponsored
Lu Zhiqiao hummed lightly and lowered her eyes.
She heard earlier that the chairman has no father and no mother, and she came to Jiangcheng to work alone, but she didn't expect her to have a younger brother. In the same age group, they are all left with only one relative, very similar.
Thinking of the last time she visited, the old house filled with the smell of incense candles and filled with plastic flowers. She didn't know it was the last time.
"Then you can stay with me tonight. You can choose any guest room. There are clothes and everything. I will ask the driver to pick up Niu Niu and send her to school tomorrow morning. Let's go to the funeral home together." Shu Minxi said lightly, stopped to cough a few times, and sniffed.
Lu Zhiqiao smiled, saw that there was water on the table, got up and poured a glass for her, shook her head and said, "No, Niu Niu is taken care of."
"Mm?"
"...neighbor across the door."
Shu Minxi pondered for a moment, and asked, "Is it Mr. Qi's daughter?"
Lu Zhiqiao was taken aback for a moment, not used to this strange address, and asked in surprise, "How do you know?"
"Mr. Qi lives in our community, a little closer to the gate. I went to his house and saw his daughter a year ago. Then when you were in a meeting, she was waiting outside. I ran into her and had a chat."
"About... what?" Lu Zhiqiao suddenly became nervous.
Shu Minxi said lightly: "It's nothing, just a few words of politeness, just told me she lives across the door from your house, and asked if the company often work overtime." She said, her eyes were a little wandering, absent-minded, and she didn't seem to want to continue talking about the topic.
Lu Zhiqiao didn't ask any more questions, and suppressed her emotions. She took out her phone and called her daughter again.
Her daughter said that she had eaten and was doing homework now at Teacher Qi’s house. After a few sentences in a hurry, she complained to her that the keypad phone was not easy to use, and begged pitifully. Unmoved, she ruthlessly hung up the phone.
"You haven't eaten yet." Shu Minxi straightened her legs and came down from the window sill, "Let's eat together."
Lu Zhiqiao got up: "Okay."
The farewell ceremony was held at nine o'clock in the morning. Lu Zhiqiao got up early in the morning and called her daughter. The child had just woken up, her voice was muffled, and she suddenly heard Qi Yan's voice.
With a sore heart, she explained a few words to the child and hung up the phone hastily.
Not long after, Shu Minxi woke up too. She didn't sleep well last night and almost had nightmares all night. Now she looked haggard and tired. After the two washed up, they went downstairs to have breakfast together. She ate very little and was full without moving much. Lu Zhiqiao was not in the mood to eat, so she hurriedly packed up and set off.
The funeral parlor is located in the western suburbs, in the opposite direction from Ninghu Lake, so they have to drive across entire Jiangcheng.
The car drove smoothly all the way. The two wore all black and sat side by side in the back row. Shu Minxi was holding a photo frame in her arms, her back was straight, and she couldn't see the contents of the photos. She began to cry silently when she got in the car, and gradually couldn't restrain and turned into sobbing. The sad and desolate atmosphere spread in the car.
Lu Zhiqiao never knew that her empathy was so strong. Hearing the suppressed sobs of the people around her, she felt sad and her eyes turned sore.
She put a hand on Shu Minxi's shoulder.
The person immersed in grief didn't respond, her eyes were sluggishly stared forward, her fingers gripped the photo frame in her arms, and when she lost her strength for a moment, the photo frame turned over, revealing the front photo.
It's a picture of two women.
Lu Zhiqiao glanced casually, and only recognized one of them as Chairman Gu Shuning, while the other is unfamiliar. But they are all beautiful, stunningly beautiful, and it is impossible to tell which one is better.
Before she could see clearly, Shu Minxi covered the photo frame with trembling hands, completely covering the faces of the two women.
At nine o'clock, they arrived at the funeral parlor.
It rained yesterday, but cleared up today. The early summer morning sun envelop the funeral home, but the golden light symbolizing new life did not dispel the gloomy and solemn atmosphere there. In the corners where the sun does not shine, in the shadows, there is sorrow and desolation
Shu Minxi was already trembling with tears and her feet were weak, making it difficult to walk. Lu Zhiqiao helped her out of the car and stood for a while. She didn't notice an acquaintance walking towards her.
"Zi Long?"
Their eyes meet each other.
The man's tall body seemed to have collapsed a lot, and his face, which had always had a gentle smile, was covered in a thick shadow, and looked older. He looked at Lu Zhiqiao with no surprise in his eyes. Perhaps it was emotional neglect, or perhaps something else.
Lu Zhiqiao asked doubtfully, "Why are you here?"
This place, except for the staff, is the place where others would rather not come once in their lifetime.
Wen Zilong frowned, his eyes turned red, and said in a low voice: "Gu Shuning is my sister…'s " As soon as the words fell, Lu Zhiqiao turned pale, and then he glanced at Shu Minxi who was crying, and his lips moved: "...girlfriend."
In fact, there is no difference, he already regards her as his own sister. She is his older sister.
Lu Zhiqiao froze in place, her lips parted slightly, a lot of information poured into her brain, disturbing her thoughts. Before she had time to comb it carefully, she heard Wen Zilong say: "The staff said that they haven't finished putting on makeup yet, let's go in first, the interior has already been decorated."
After finishing speaking, he took Shu Minxi from Lu Zhiqiao's hand, and helped her walk inside.
Municipal funeral homes hold multiple farewell ceremonies every day, cremating dozens of remains, and the farewell hall is reused. Because he didn't want to be disturbed by others and obeyed his sister's last wish to be cremated immediately, Wen Zilong didn't plan a big farewell ceremony, but only held a small memorial service for one last look.
He brought over the plastic poppies from Gu Shuning's house and replaced the white chrysanthemums arranged by the staff.
The farewell hall was brightly red, except for the white curtain of the mourning platform on which there were two large photo frames, next to each other, one of the women in the black and white photo was Gu Shuning, the other...
Lu Zhiqiao stared at the unfamiliar photo, and felt that the woman's eyes were very similar to Qi Yan's, long and narrow, half full of autumn water, though the voice and smile were frozen, she is very attractive.
Gu Shuning's girlfriend?
Died?
"Can I go in and have a look? I want to put this flower in her hand..." Shu Minxi's trembling voice came from beside her ear.
The mortician came over at some point. She was wearing a white coat, a mask and gloves, her hair was coiled up, and her cold eyes showed a bit of solemnity. She shook her head and said, "I'm sorry, family members are not allowed in the dressing room. I can put flowers for you."
"I beg you…"
"You really can not."
Lu Zhiqiao stared at it for a while, the phone in her pocket vibrated, she took it out to see that it was Qi Yan's phone, and hurriedly walked out.
"Hello?"
Qi Yan's voice could be heard lecturing.
Lu Zhiqiao was taken aback, and listened silently for a while, then the phone was hung up. Then she received a text message: I accidentally pressed it, don't mind it.
"..."
She looked at those words in a daze, feeling a sense of loss in her heart. She put away her phone, turned and went back to the hall.
The people who attended the memorial service came one after another. As Shu Minxi said, there were very few people. Counting them, there were less than fifteen people. Except for Wen Zilong, they were all women. The youngest looked like she was in her early twenties.They were all dressed in black and white veil, with solemn faces.
The memorial service was not long, and no one was crying loudly, only the sound of suppressed sobbing one after another.
Gu Shuning, who had put on makeup, was lying in the coffin, with a ruddy and vivid complexion, and a peaceful expression, as if she was just asleep. She held a bouquet of plastic poppies in her hand, and wore a thin sparkling diamond ring on her ring finger. Her hands were folded and pressed together on a photo frame. Looking carefully, there seemed to be a smile on the corner of her mouth.
Shu Minxi lay beside the coffin, crying her heart out.
This is the last look. Soon, after entering the cremation furnace, the past will be turned into a handful of ashes, and there will be no more Gu Shuning in this world.
"Sister Ningning, go find her, she's been waiting for you for fifteen years..."
"Don't be so miserable in your next life."
She babbled and babbled indistinctly.
Lu Zhiqiao stood on one side, holding a ball of tissues to wipe tears away, biting her lips to keep herself from making a sound.
Originally, it was just regret and lamentation, but when she heard what Shu Minxi said, she seemed to understand something vaguely, and then looked at the photo of the unfamiliar woman on the altar, and suddenly thought of Qi Yan. The furthest distance is life and death, they have experienced it side by side, and they are lucky to survive, if it was her and Qi Yan today...
Who knows when an accident will happen?
Fifteen years of separation between life and death, just imagining it is enough to feel tormented.
Her tears fell down, flowing fiercely.
She doesn't know if she is crying for someone who has passed away, or if she's afraid of the dangers she had experienced in the past, or worry about everything that may happen in the future.
She is always trapped in the shadow of the past, and she is always worried about many possible things in the future, but she doesn't take the present into her eyes. She neglected that the choices she makes now can affect the future, the more pessimistic she is, the easier it is to lead to tragedy, and end up with a vision that comes true.
One day, when she is old and about to die, she would look back on her life, but it would be empty.
But now, she has a daughter, Qi Yan, and friends. There is family, friendship, and love.
They are all very precious things.
….
After the memorial service, the staff pushed the coffin to the cremation room, but the family members stopped.
The ring could not be burned, so it was taken off and handed over to Wen Zilong. After getting the ashes, he buried the ring in the urn. Since it was his sister, he should take it home.
Coming out of the funeral home, the sun was high overhead.
Shu Minxi was tired from crying, her eyes were red and swollen, and she leaned against Lu Zhiqiao weakly, without saying a word. Lu Zhiqiao helped her into the car, stood by the door and hesitated for a while, then turned to look at Wen Zilong - the man was holding the urn, saying goodbye to other mourners.
She had a lot to ask, but held back.
"Zhiqiao."
"?"
Lu Zhiqiao was about to get into the car when she was called to stop.
Wen Zilong walked over with a wrinkled face, glanced into the car, and said in a hoarse voice: "Sister Minxi, please take care first, I'll go back and put my things away, and I'll find you right away."
"Okay, it's fine."
He seemed to have something to say. He hesitated for a moment, frowned, shook his head, apologized, bowed to her, and turned his head to get into his car.
Lu Zhiqiao sighed, got into the car and closed the door.
Back in Ninghu, the servants at home had already prepared lunch, but Shu Minxi didn't even look at it, she went straight upstairs and fell head first on the bed.
Knowing that she couldn't eat, Lu Zhiqiao didn't persuade her, and went downstairs to eat first. She asked the servant to warm up the food, took her bag and sat in the living room on the third floor, facing the door of the master bedroom, and guarded it.
The woman lay motionless on the bed.
After a while, Lu Zhiqiao touched her lightly, and saw that she had fallen asleep. Her breathing was long and steady, but her eyebrows were furrowed.
She retreated into the living room again.
She sent a WeChat message to her assistant that she will not be able to go to the company in the afternoon.
Sitting like that, watching, after an unknown period of time, she almost fell asleep. Her upper and lower eyelids were fighting, but was startled by the vibration of her mobile phone, and opened her eyes in a daze.
"Hello?"
"Niu Niu fought with her classmates at school, can you come over now?" Qi Yan's deliberately suppressed voice came from the receiver.
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=3975255
this translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
The voice on the phone was crying, and it sounded extremely desolate. Lu Zhiqiao's scalp went numb when she heard it, and immediately realized who "she" was, and couldn't help but gasped.
The chairman, the woman she once admired so much, is gone?
She is not familiar with the chairman, nor does she have much of a relationship with her. Over the years, the other party has lived in seclusion, and she has hardly seen a shadow. In her memory, she has become more and more faded and distant. But when such a person who had no sense of existence suddenly left one day, she realized that there was a hidden emotion in her heart, and then she felt a strong sense of sadness.
Listening to Shu Minxi's trembling and choked voice, she was overcome with grief and regret, as if what had passed away was not a person, but an era.
In a flash, it has been many years.
"When did this happen?"
"Half an hour ago, brain-dead." There was a pause and a sob, "I'm in the hospital now, and I've already contacted the funeral home."
Lu Zhiqiao's heart twitched, and her eyes became a little wet. She is allergic to the word "death", and now, many years later she encountered it again. The fear and sadness were still fresh in her memory. She held the phone and thought for a while, then said, "I'm here at the company, don't worry."
"After getting off work, can you come to my house?"
"Okay." She agreed without hesitation.
After a long silence, the phone was hung up..
Lu Zhiqiao stared at her phone and sighed. Two days ago, Shu Minxi returned to the company and she seemed to be in good spirits. She thought she could be liberated, but she was caught off guard when she was promoted. Within two days, this person left again, and today she received bad news.
Many things are piled on top of each other. Piled up like a mountain, and they could not react in time.
Another call came in.
A subordinate.
Two days ago, there was a slight change in the company's personnel, and the overall company ushered in a promotion. After she became the vice president, Sun Jian, the former sales manager, took over as the director, managing the three departments of sales, marketing, and public relations. In the past two days, she and Sun Jian have been doing the handovers, and there are a lot of things to do. Moving the office is all "stolen" time.
Lu Zhiqiao answered the phone and talked for three to five minutes. She couldn't make out a few words, so she simply continued.
She hung up, looked at the document she was editing, and decided to temporarily put them aside. Because in addition to sending it to Qi Yan, she also needs to explain in person, fearing that something might go wrong. So she might as well wait until she's not busy.
When Lu Zhiqiao returned to the office, it was already ten past six.
Rain is pouring outside, and the bean-sized drops pattered obliquely on the window glass with the wind in between. The sky was gloomy and dim, and there was a long queue of crowded vehicles on the road, with red and yellow tail lights converging.
God is crying too.
Lu Zhiqiao called her daughter and said she wouldn't go back for dinner. The child was laughing happily on the phone, with Qi Yan's voice beside her, vaguely responding and eager to hang up first. She looked out the window at the misty rain and sighed, then turned around to pack up and leave.
….
The road was a bit congested, and Lu Zhiqiao drove for an hour to arrive at Shu Minxi's place. Since Shu Minxi had called security in advance, the guard let her go.
The gate of the courtyard was open, and lights were on in every room on every floor of the house. Lu Zhiqiao parked the car inside, closed the gate, and entered the house. The maid who opened the door hesitated to speak when she saw her, turned her gaze upstairs then sighed.
Lu Zhiqiao's heart understood, went upstairs and knocked on the door and gently pushed it open.
The room was dim, with only a wall lamp turned on. Shu Minxi sat alone on the window sill, with her knees bent to support her arms, the other leg straight, her back leaning on the cushion, staring out of the window in a daze.
"Sister Minxi." Lu Zhiqiao called her and walked over slowly.
The woman turned her head at the sound, her pale face showing fatigue, her hair a bit messy, her clothes wrinkled, as if she had suddenly aged a few years. She looked at Lu Zhiqiao and her lips moved slightly, "You're here.
She had cried, her eyes and nose were red, and she looked haggard.
Lu Zhiqiao sat next to her, wanting to hold her hand, but feeling a bit uncomfortable, so she grabbed her wrist. Many comforting words rushed to her lips, unable to speak for a moment. Finally deciding to clasp the woman's hands.
Lightning flashed across the sky, and thunder boomed in the sky, and the rain became heavier.
The two sat quietly, and neither of them spoke. To those who know, her best friend has passed away. To those who don't, it was as if she parted from her lover—the so-called strong feelings are nothing but that. The more Lu Zhiqiao thinks about it, the more she can't figure it out.
Grief is contagious, and within a few minutes of sitting down, she was choked up. Lightning, muffled thunder, and crackling rain outside the window knocked her emotions in the quiet atmosphere at the moment.
"She's already been sent to the funeral home." Shu Minxi said hoarsely.
"Cremation is tomorrow morning."
Funeral home, farewell, cremation. These words exploded in Lu Zhiqiao's mind like bombs, instantly evoking her memories of that place, which she was not unfamiliar to her at all. "So fast? Don't you need to... publish an obituary in the company?"
"She wanted to go quietly."
"Does Saki know?"
Shu Minxi was slightly startled, her face darkened: "I didn't inform her."
The three intertwined with each other and formed a huge mystery. Lu Zhiqiao was aroused by gossip. She often felt that she must have joined the company because of fate. Otherwise, how could it be so coincidental that everyone she met was just like herself. But obviously, now is not the time for gossip.
"Tomorrow morning..." She looked at Shu Minxi inquiringly, "I'll go too."
Shu Minxi turned her head and a hint of surprise flashed in her chaotic black eyes before nodding for a moment, "Sure. Actually, there aren't many people, just me, you, her brother, and a few girls she has sponsored
Lu Zhiqiao hummed lightly and lowered her eyes.
She heard earlier that the chairman has no father and no mother, and she came to Jiangcheng to work alone, but she didn't expect her to have a younger brother. In the same age group, they are all left with only one relative, very similar.
Thinking of the last time she visited, the old house filled with the smell of incense candles and filled with plastic flowers. She didn't know it was the last time.
"Then you can stay with me tonight. You can choose any guest room. There are clothes and everything. I will ask the driver to pick up Niu Niu and send her to school tomorrow morning. Let's go to the funeral home together." Shu Minxi said lightly, stopped to cough a few times, and sniffed.
Lu Zhiqiao smiled, saw that there was water on the table, got up and poured a glass for her, shook her head and said, "No, Niu Niu is taken care of."
"Mm?"
"...neighbor across the door."
Shu Minxi pondered for a moment, and asked, "Is it Mr. Qi's daughter?"
Lu Zhiqiao was taken aback for a moment, not used to this strange address, and asked in surprise, "How do you know?"
"Mr. Qi lives in our community, a little closer to the gate. I went to his house and saw his daughter a year ago. Then when you were in a meeting, she was waiting outside. I ran into her and had a chat."
"About... what?" Lu Zhiqiao suddenly became nervous.
Shu Minxi said lightly: "It's nothing, just a few words of politeness, just told me she lives across the door from your house, and asked if the company often work overtime." She said, her eyes were a little wandering, absent-minded, and she didn't seem to want to continue talking about the topic.
Lu Zhiqiao didn't ask any more questions, and suppressed her emotions. She took out her phone and called her daughter again.
Her daughter said that she had eaten and was doing homework now at Teacher Qi’s house. After a few sentences in a hurry, she complained to her that the keypad phone was not easy to use, and begged pitifully. Unmoved, she ruthlessly hung up the phone.
"You haven't eaten yet." Shu Minxi straightened her legs and came down from the window sill, "Let's eat together."
Lu Zhiqiao got up: "Okay."
The farewell ceremony was held at nine o'clock in the morning. Lu Zhiqiao got up early in the morning and called her daughter. The child had just woken up, her voice was muffled, and she suddenly heard Qi Yan's voice.
With a sore heart, she explained a few words to the child and hung up the phone hastily.
Not long after, Shu Minxi woke up too. She didn't sleep well last night and almost had nightmares all night. Now she looked haggard and tired. After the two washed up, they went downstairs to have breakfast together. She ate very little and was full without moving much. Lu Zhiqiao was not in the mood to eat, so she hurriedly packed up and set off.
The funeral parlor is located in the western suburbs, in the opposite direction from Ninghu Lake, so they have to drive across entire Jiangcheng.
The car drove smoothly all the way. The two wore all black and sat side by side in the back row. Shu Minxi was holding a photo frame in her arms, her back was straight, and she couldn't see the contents of the photos. She began to cry silently when she got in the car, and gradually couldn't restrain and turned into sobbing. The sad and desolate atmosphere spread in the car.
Lu Zhiqiao never knew that her empathy was so strong. Hearing the suppressed sobs of the people around her, she felt sad and her eyes turned sore.
She put a hand on Shu Minxi's shoulder.
The person immersed in grief didn't respond, her eyes were sluggishly stared forward, her fingers gripped the photo frame in her arms, and when she lost her strength for a moment, the photo frame turned over, revealing the front photo.
It's a picture of two women.
Lu Zhiqiao glanced casually, and only recognized one of them as Chairman Gu Shuning, while the other is unfamiliar. But they are all beautiful, stunningly beautiful, and it is impossible to tell which one is better.
Before she could see clearly, Shu Minxi covered the photo frame with trembling hands, completely covering the faces of the two women.
At nine o'clock, they arrived at the funeral parlor.
It rained yesterday, but cleared up today. The early summer morning sun envelop the funeral home, but the golden light symbolizing new life did not dispel the gloomy and solemn atmosphere there. In the corners where the sun does not shine, in the shadows, there is sorrow and desolation
Shu Minxi was already trembling with tears and her feet were weak, making it difficult to walk. Lu Zhiqiao helped her out of the car and stood for a while. She didn't notice an acquaintance walking towards her.
"Zi Long?"
Their eyes meet each other.
The man's tall body seemed to have collapsed a lot, and his face, which had always had a gentle smile, was covered in a thick shadow, and looked older. He looked at Lu Zhiqiao with no surprise in his eyes. Perhaps it was emotional neglect, or perhaps something else.
Lu Zhiqiao asked doubtfully, "Why are you here?"
This place, except for the staff, is the place where others would rather not come once in their lifetime.
Wen Zilong frowned, his eyes turned red, and said in a low voice: "Gu Shuning is my sister…'s " As soon as the words fell, Lu Zhiqiao turned pale, and then he glanced at Shu Minxi who was crying, and his lips moved: "...girlfriend."
In fact, there is no difference, he already regards her as his own sister. She is his older sister.
Lu Zhiqiao froze in place, her lips parted slightly, a lot of information poured into her brain, disturbing her thoughts. Before she had time to comb it carefully, she heard Wen Zilong say: "The staff said that they haven't finished putting on makeup yet, let's go in first, the interior has already been decorated."
After finishing speaking, he took Shu Minxi from Lu Zhiqiao's hand, and helped her walk inside.
Municipal funeral homes hold multiple farewell ceremonies every day, cremating dozens of remains, and the farewell hall is reused. Because he didn't want to be disturbed by others and obeyed his sister's last wish to be cremated immediately, Wen Zilong didn't plan a big farewell ceremony, but only held a small memorial service for one last look.
He brought over the plastic poppies from Gu Shuning's house and replaced the white chrysanthemums arranged by the staff.
The farewell hall was brightly red, except for the white curtain of the mourning platform on which there were two large photo frames, next to each other, one of the women in the black and white photo was Gu Shuning, the other...
Lu Zhiqiao stared at the unfamiliar photo, and felt that the woman's eyes were very similar to Qi Yan's, long and narrow, half full of autumn water, though the voice and smile were frozen, she is very attractive.
Gu Shuning's girlfriend?
Died?
"Can I go in and have a look? I want to put this flower in her hand..." Shu Minxi's trembling voice came from beside her ear.
The mortician came over at some point. She was wearing a white coat, a mask and gloves, her hair was coiled up, and her cold eyes showed a bit of solemnity. She shook her head and said, "I'm sorry, family members are not allowed in the dressing room. I can put flowers for you."
"I beg you…"
"You really can not."
Lu Zhiqiao stared at it for a while, the phone in her pocket vibrated, she took it out to see that it was Qi Yan's phone, and hurriedly walked out.
"Hello?"
Qi Yan's voice could be heard lecturing.
Lu Zhiqiao was taken aback, and listened silently for a while, then the phone was hung up. Then she received a text message: I accidentally pressed it, don't mind it.
"..."
She looked at those words in a daze, feeling a sense of loss in her heart. She put away her phone, turned and went back to the hall.
The people who attended the memorial service came one after another. As Shu Minxi said, there were very few people. Counting them, there were less than fifteen people. Except for Wen Zilong, they were all women. The youngest looked like she was in her early twenties.They were all dressed in black and white veil, with solemn faces.
The memorial service was not long, and no one was crying loudly, only the sound of suppressed sobbing one after another.
Gu Shuning, who had put on makeup, was lying in the coffin, with a ruddy and vivid complexion, and a peaceful expression, as if she was just asleep. She held a bouquet of plastic poppies in her hand, and wore a thin sparkling diamond ring on her ring finger. Her hands were folded and pressed together on a photo frame. Looking carefully, there seemed to be a smile on the corner of her mouth.
Shu Minxi lay beside the coffin, crying her heart out.
This is the last look. Soon, after entering the cremation furnace, the past will be turned into a handful of ashes, and there will be no more Gu Shuning in this world.
"Sister Ningning, go find her, she's been waiting for you for fifteen years..."
"Don't be so miserable in your next life."
She babbled and babbled indistinctly.
Lu Zhiqiao stood on one side, holding a ball of tissues to wipe tears away, biting her lips to keep herself from making a sound.
Originally, it was just regret and lamentation, but when she heard what Shu Minxi said, she seemed to understand something vaguely, and then looked at the photo of the unfamiliar woman on the altar, and suddenly thought of Qi Yan. The furthest distance is life and death, they have experienced it side by side, and they are lucky to survive, if it was her and Qi Yan today...
Who knows when an accident will happen?
Fifteen years of separation between life and death, just imagining it is enough to feel tormented.
Her tears fell down, flowing fiercely.
She doesn't know if she is crying for someone who has passed away, or if she's afraid of the dangers she had experienced in the past, or worry about everything that may happen in the future.
She is always trapped in the shadow of the past, and she is always worried about many possible things in the future, but she doesn't take the present into her eyes. She neglected that the choices she makes now can affect the future, the more pessimistic she is, the easier it is to lead to tragedy, and end up with a vision that comes true.
One day, when she is old and about to die, she would look back on her life, but it would be empty.
But now, she has a daughter, Qi Yan, and friends. There is family, friendship, and love.
They are all very precious things.
….
After the memorial service, the staff pushed the coffin to the cremation room, but the family members stopped.
The ring could not be burned, so it was taken off and handed over to Wen Zilong. After getting the ashes, he buried the ring in the urn. Since it was his sister, he should take it home.
Coming out of the funeral home, the sun was high overhead.
Shu Minxi was tired from crying, her eyes were red and swollen, and she leaned against Lu Zhiqiao weakly, without saying a word. Lu Zhiqiao helped her into the car, stood by the door and hesitated for a while, then turned to look at Wen Zilong - the man was holding the urn, saying goodbye to other mourners.
She had a lot to ask, but held back.
"Zhiqiao."
"?"
Lu Zhiqiao was about to get into the car when she was called to stop.
Wen Zilong walked over with a wrinkled face, glanced into the car, and said in a hoarse voice: "Sister Minxi, please take care first, I'll go back and put my things away, and I'll find you right away."
"Okay, it's fine."
He seemed to have something to say. He hesitated for a moment, frowned, shook his head, apologized, bowed to her, and turned his head to get into his car.
Lu Zhiqiao sighed, got into the car and closed the door.
Back in Ninghu, the servants at home had already prepared lunch, but Shu Minxi didn't even look at it, she went straight upstairs and fell head first on the bed.
Knowing that she couldn't eat, Lu Zhiqiao didn't persuade her, and went downstairs to eat first. She asked the servant to warm up the food, took her bag and sat in the living room on the third floor, facing the door of the master bedroom, and guarded it.
The woman lay motionless on the bed.
After a while, Lu Zhiqiao touched her lightly, and saw that she had fallen asleep. Her breathing was long and steady, but her eyebrows were furrowed.
She retreated into the living room again.
She sent a WeChat message to her assistant that she will not be able to go to the company in the afternoon.
Sitting like that, watching, after an unknown period of time, she almost fell asleep. Her upper and lower eyelids were fighting, but was startled by the vibration of her mobile phone, and opened her eyes in a daze.
"Hello?"
"Niu Niu fought with her classmates at school, can you come over now?" Qi Yan's deliberately suppressed voice came from the receiver.
