Lu Shaoyan sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at the old man, who had become haggard from grief.

He just watched him.

"Sor… Sor… ry." That word was stammered out, but he was finally able to say it.

Old Master Lu deeply sighed. The emotional knot that had plagued him for so many years seemed to dissipate entirely in that moment.

Lu Shaoyan laughed.

"Sorry?" He was doubtful. "Dad, are you that moved by your own words?"

It really wasn't right to say these words in front of an eldery person who had been notified that he had limited time left. Despite that, Lu Shaoyan continued to jokingly smile. "Can you redeem yourself of any sin just by saying sorry? No matter what it is, as long as you say sorry, then you can cancel out everything that you've done? Dad, don't you think you're being too naive?"

Old Master Lu looked at him. His Adam's Apple went up and down, but he couldn't produce any words from his slightly open mouth.

"I found out that you had cancer a year ago. The symptoms of cancer, I couldn't be more clear about that. Do you know why? Lu Shaoyan looked at him. He smiled a strange smile. "Because my mom had cancer too."

Old Master Lu grasped the bedsheet in vain. He stared at Lu Shaoyan with his unclear eyes. His entire body trembled violently.

"You said that my mom betrayed you. That I'm not your son. That I'm a b*stard child. You're so conceited. When you saw the so-called truth, you believe it without any doubt. Did you forget? That you once loved my mom so much? That you cared about me so much. Just because of that fake evidence and falsified paternity test, you saw me as b*stard child and called my mom a sl*t."

Old Master Lu's expression became twisted.

"You weren't even willing to be on the same land as my mom and me. Your heartlessly drove us out of the country. Did you know? My mom had the same symptoms as you in the first year we lived abroad. She went to the hospital, and the doctors found out that she had an early stage of liver cancer. There was time for treatment, but we didn't have money. We didn't even have the money to survive. She could only wait for death."

"Do you know why I keep coming back to the ancestral home?" Lu Shaoyan laughed. A twisted pleasure floated up. "Because I want to see you as you went from the early stage of liver cancer to the middle stage to the late stage. I waited to hear the doctor say you're past the point of treatment and could only wait for death!"

"Your…. Mom…"

"Yes, she died. She died a long time ago." Lu Shaoyan expressionlessly said, "She died in her second year abroad. Her condition worsened much faster than yours. It was because she washed her face with tears every day. Every day, she hated you and thought about you. She talked about you like a lunatic. Before she died, she told me to not tell you the news of her death. She said that death ended everything. It was the living that suffered the most. She didn't want you to suffer."

The line on the ECG monitor became more gentle.

Even with the oxygen mask, it became harder and harder for Old Master Lu to catch his breath.

"She told me that you would find out about the truth one day. When that time comes, you'll contact me. She told me to tell you that she hates you and never wants to see you to hide the news of her death. Look, even when she was dying, she was still thinking about you. A woman like that, she's downright ridiculous!"

"Shao…. Shao…" Old Master Lu could only say his name in vain. He struggled to reach out and grab Lu Shaoyan's hand. Tears slipped from his eyes that were full of guilt and pleading.

Lu Shaoyan looked at his eyes and suddenly sighed. "I regret it now. I should have told you the news of her death earlier. She's right. It's all over when you die. Only living people can feel pain. Instead of letting you carry the hope of being forgiven every day, it would have been better to tell you earlier and have you live your life in guilt. Perhaps then, I would have gotten more instead of that little bit of useless real estate!"

Speaking of this, Lu Shaoyan suddenly became irritable. "I'm your son! You would rather hand your company over to your grandson and give your remaining shares of the company to your great-grandson than give me a few shares!"

Old Master Lu breathed heavily. He closed his eyes. Tears dripped down the corners of his eyes.

"Since you won't hand the company to me, then go in peace. Your Lu Corporation will soon become a thing of the past. Watch on in the afterlife as I burn your life's hard work into ashes."

Old Master Lu opened his eyes. A moment later, his breathing became more stable, and he weakly raised his hand and took off his oxygen mask.

"Shaoyan, I'm sorry. I owe you, and I owe your mother. Dad knows that I can never make it up to you. You and your mother suffered a lot because of me…" With great difficulty, he slowly said, "I was too conceited in my youth, which led you and your mother…"

Old Master Lu paused and deeply sighed. "But don't learn from Dad. Don't be conceited like me. Dad gave you that money so that you can peacefully live out your life in riches. Dad has planned it out. Even if you.. squander the money I leave you at will, it'll be enough to last you a lifetime. And the assets I left for your mothers, it's… all yours! Dad knows that money can't make up for the harm Dad has done to you, but Shaoyan… Don't go against Beichuan. You can't win against him!"

"I can't win against him?" Lu Shaoyan sneered. "The Shen's are standing on my side, and that wastrel, You Jing, is under my control. Your real estate and overseas assets also belong to me. Why can't I beat Lu Beichuan?"

Old Master Lu shook his head. He had a death grip on Lu Shaoyan's sleeve. "Dad has watched Beichuan grow up. Dad knows Beichuan's ability. Believe Dad. Don't go against him. Otherwise, sooner or later, you'll… "

"I'll live a long life and be there to see the day when Lu Corporation falls." Lu Shaoyan forcibly shook Old Master Lu's hand away."When the time comes, I hope you can watch from the afterlife as I ruin Lu Corporation and the grandson that you're so proud of!"

Old Master Lu anxiously tried to grab Lu Shaoyan's hand, but he caught nothing.

"Shaoyan, Shaoyan, promise Dad that you won't go against Beichuan," Old Master Lu anxiously said, "I know I'm wrong. I only hope that you… can live your life in peace. Promise Dad, don't go against Beichuan. Don't… Don't...”

Old Master Lu's face became increasingly pale. The beeping from the ECG monitor sounded increasingly frantic. Lu Shaoyan only coldy stared at him.

"Shaoyan, Shaoyan, promise Dad, promise Dad!" Old Master Lu cried out. There was nothing else he could do. He could only entreat him.

Lu Shaoyan dug his nails into his palms. As he stared at the ECG monitor, his eyes gradually reddened.

He didn't regret it. He didn't regret it at all!

He wasn't sad. He wasn't sad at all.

His dad was just reaping what he sowed!

"Yanyan… Promise Dad… Don't…" The slightly opened mouth abruptly slackened. The eyes that were eagerly looking for forgiveness looked on at Lu Shaoyan, but at this time, those eyes had become empty of emotion.

Death had fallen on Old Master Lu, and his eyes were left wide open.

A long piercing sound came from the ECG monitor.

Lu Shaoyan looked at Old Master Lu, who had died with a grievance, and quietly laughed.

"You two really are husband and wife. You both died with your eyes open. For her, it was because of her feelings for you. Old man, you really profited. Even as she was dying, she was thinking about you. Even in her dreams, she wanted to see you one more time. She must be waiting for you in the afterlife instead of moving onto her next life. If you see her, even if you make a half-hearted effort to coax her, you'll probably win her back."

Lu Shaoyan raised his head and looked at the gloomy sky. It was like a sign that heralded major changes. He inexplicably felt depressed. It felt hard to breathe, and he murmured, "My mom is so cheap. She was tormented for a lifetime because of a person like you. What a glutton for punishment."

Lu Shaoyan was choked with emotions for a moment. His Adam's Apple went up and down, and his voice gradually lowered.

"You raised me for ten years, but then you threw me away for ten years. People scolded me for being a b*stard child because of you. Your affection and compensation, what's the use of it?" Lu Shaoyan sighed. "Do you think your affection after I return abroad is enough to compensate for the harm you've caused me?"

Lu Shaoyan looked at him and said through gritted teeth, "In your dreams! If you die, you die. I'll never feel sad for you. I'll never cry for you, much less fondly reminisce about you."

Old Master Lu's eyes still looked at him. Lu Shaoyan was reflected in those soulless eyes.

"Now that I think about it, you had enough glorious moments while you were alive, and there'll be people to cry for you after your death. When the news comes out tomorrow, there'll be many people to come by to offer their condolences and burn incense for you. Every year, there'll be people to pay respect to you. There'll be more people to remember you. Even if you died, you died splendidly. But my mom died all alone in the hospital. To this day, only the two of us know that she died. She's so pitiful."

Lu Shaoyan chattered on and simply sat down in front of Old Master Lu. He looked at his reflection in the old man's eyes.

"Don't look anymore. I won't promise you," Lu Shaoyan said, "I'm not going against Lu Beichuan. I'm going against your Lu Corporation. Rest assured, I won't give up until Lu Corporation falls. Perhaps, the day that your Lu Corporation falls, I'll go to your grave and burn incense to tell you the good news. I know that the thing you care about the most is Lu Corporation."

Lu Shaoyan raised his hand and gently closed Old Master Lu's eyes.

His hand touched the skin that still had residual warmth. Feeling that rough sensation, Lu Shaoyan slowly lowered his head.

His body trembled. Soon after, he put his head down on the bed. One hand desperately held the old man's hand, and the other hand covered his eyes.

"Yanyan, don't listen to your mom. No matter what you want to do when you grow up, Dad will support you! Even if you're a wastrel, Dad will still let you become a second generation that's the richest and most carefree!"

"Shaoyan, a man has to take responsibility when he makes a mistake. Wrong is wrong. There's no excuse!"

"B*stard child! You're just a b*stard child! How dare you enter the doors of the Lu family?! Get out! Listen carefully, anyone that dares to let him back in will be kicked out of the Lu family!"

"Shaoyan, dad was wrong back then. Dad apologizes to you. Come back, Dad will apologize for what happened back then, okay?"

"Yanyan… Promise Dad… Don't…"

Those vivid memories came and went. The memories that he had thought he forgot appeared in his mind again.

All of those happy, hateful, humiliating memories. Everything in the past created the person he was today.

It wasn't his fault!

From beginning to end, he hadn't done anything wrong!

Through a crack between the window and the window frame, a gust of wind blew the curtain upward.

A sob forcefully came out. Lu Shaoyan's forehead rested on the back of Old Master Lu's hand. His body violently trembled. Unable to bear it, he wept.

The hallway was full of sad-looking people that were stretching their heads to peer into the hospital room. After a group of eldery people had discussed for a while in a corner, their representative went forward and walked to Lu Beichuan.

"Beichuan ah, I watched you grow up, so I won't skirt around the issue with you." Holding a cane, the old man had the mannerism of an older generation talking to the younger generation. "Old Master has been in poor health for a while. If he can hold on, then of course it's a good thing, but you heard the doctor. His situation isn't optimistic. What has to be prepared should be prepared now. Your Old Master's grandson, no one can go over you."

No clues could be seen on Lu Beichuan's face. He only respectfully said, "Fourth Great-uncle, Grandpa still has a son. How can I get over my little uncle?"

"Little uncle?" Fourth Great-uncle sneered. He lowered his voice. "Back then, Lu Shaoyan and his mother were driven out by Old Master. Although the reason wasn't publicly spoken of, everyone knew the reason. Later on, Old Master said that an investigation proved that it was all a misunderstanding. The way I see it, whether it was a misunderstanding or not is a separate issue. So many years had passed since the incident. Old Master has gotten old. It's human nature to remember old relationships when one gets old. That's why he called Lu Shaoyan back. Let's talk about that. Lu Shaoyan has been living abroad for over 10 years, but he never came to do his filial piety to Old Master in those years. After he came back, he coaxed Old Master to give him all the real estate under his name as well as his overseas investments. The overseas investments are worth a lot of money. That woman stopped being Old Master's wife a long time ago. What right does she have to take our Lu family's overseas assets?"

Fourth Great-uncle was Old Master Lu's younger brother. Under the protection of his older brother, he had lived like a prince in the past years.

"Beichuan, these aren't my words. Others feel that Old Master is biased sometimes. Who doesn't know that you single-handedly propped up the Lu family? Without you, how can there be the present Lu family?! Lu Shaoyan and his mother have been living abroad for many years. What has he done? He's done nothing. He just came back for two years and made Old Master happy with his company. For that, he coaxed Old Master to give him the majority of his assets. He doesn't deserve that!"

Lu Beichuan's expression couldn't be deciphered. "Whatever you want to say, just say it."

Fourth Great-uncle lowered his voice and continued, "Old Master is being muddled-head. We can't be muddled-headed with him. How can Lu Shaoyan take away the family assets? He has to give you at least half of it. Don't you agree?"

Lu Beichuan understood. "You think Grandpa distributed his assets unevenly?"

Fourth Great-uncle sighed. "He's gotten old. It's inevitable that he's gotten muddled-headed. Still, seeing his current condition, we shouldn't do anything to stimulate him. Take good care of him. Whatever has to be done, we can wait until later to talk about it."

Lu Beichuan didn't directly answer and only lightly said, "Fourth Great-uncle, logically speaking, Grandpa, you, and little uncle are all my elders. I really don't have the right to cut into the business of my elders."

"You…"

"Beichuan." Ye Zhen walked over from the end of the hallway. She held Lu Beichuan's hand and looked at the eldery man. "Fourth Great-uncle, excuse me. I have to discuss something urgent with Beichuan."

Fourth Great-uncle didn't say any more. He nodded and walked to the side.

"What's wrong?" Lu Beichuan quietly asked.

Ye Zhen didn't directly say it. She looked at the nearby people and whispered back, "Come with me."

Ye Zhen took Lu Beichuan to the doctor's office. She closed the door and quietly said to the doctor, "Chief Physician, please tell my husband what you know."

The chief physician sighed. His expression was solemn as handed Old Master Lu's medical file to Lu Beichuan. "Mr. Lu, it's like this. Your grandfather has gotten his physical examinations at this hospital over the years. We didn't think it was good that he skipped his last two annual check ups, so we had sent a doctor over for a home visit to check on his condition. As far as I know, his health was still good a year ago."

Lu Beichuan stared at him. "Just say what you want to say."

"I found something unusual in his examination. Of course, this is just my guess. I still need to analyze the details of the specific situation to be sure…"

Before the chief physician finished speaking, there was rapid knocking on the door.

Without getting permission, a nurse pushed open the door, anxiously looked at the chief physician, and said, "Mr. Lu flatlined!"

Lu Beichuan and Ye Zhen looked at each other and followed the chief physician towards the hospital room. They saw several doctors and nurses enter the room. Shortly after, the dazed Lu Shaoyan was pushed out of the room.

"What happened?!"

Someone started giving Lu Shaoyan a hard time, but Lu Shaoyan's mood was low, and his expression was forbearing. Under everyone's questioning, he stayed silent.

The group of doctors didn't stay in the hospital room for long. The chief physician took off his mask, surveyed the crowd, and shook his head at Lu Beichuan and the others. He sighed. "Sorry for your loss."

"What… What happened? Wasn't he okay just now?" the crowd anxiously rushed into the hospital room.

Soon after, an extremely loud wail started. "Only a little time passed. How did he… Big Brother! Big Brother, open your eyes! Look at us!"

It was a sea of weeping people in the hospital room, and only a few people were left scattered in the hallway.

Mrs. Lu was holding Zhouzhou's hand. He looked around the room and didn't understand what had happened, much less why the people in the room were crying. He raised his head and looked at Mrs. Lu, who was covering her face and crying. "Grandma, why are you crying?"

Mrs. Lu crouched down and tightly hugged him. "Because Zhouzhou's Great-Grandpa has left."

"Isn't Great-Grandpa sick? Zhouzhou can't even get out of bed when I'm sick. How come Great-Grandpa can leave? Where did he go?"

Looking at Zhouzhou's young and simple face, Mrs. Lu bit her lip.

Lu Beichuan said to Ye Zhen, "Take Zhouzhou back to the ancestral home first. I'll stay at the hospital. There's no one in the ancestral home. I'll depend on Mom and you to take care of that side."

Ye Zhen nodded. Her heart felt heavy too. Old Master Lu had treated her well in the past few years. He treated Zhouzhou even better. He dearly loved his great-grandson.

"I got it. Mom and I will take care of the ancestral home side. Don't worry."

Old Master Lu's corpse had been covered with a white sheet. The medical equipment had lost its usefulness. The room was extremely crowded. Standing in the doorway, Lu Beichuan glanced at Old Master Lu'd body, and then he went back to the chief physician's office.