Chapter 15

It was like a stone thrown into a lake that had originally been calm, sending out circle after circle of ripples, large at first and then smaller, until the surface gradually returned to peace. The secret she had buried in her heart and hidden for so many years had now been discovered by Lin Ran, who was practically a younger sister to her. Huo Wan did not know what kind of words she should use to describe her feelings.

Joy, or sorrow.

And also a little regret.

Why was it the younger sister who had seen it, and not the older sister who had discovered it?

She did not deny Lin Ran’s question. Instead, she admitted it very readily. She had kept this secret alone for too long, and now that there was someone who could help her keep it, that might not be a bad thing either.

How had Lin Ran discovered it?

Because she herself was also a little gay!

At school, there was a girl Lin Ran liked very, very much. The other girl looked so sweet, obedient and sweet, and she was especially popular with the boys. Before Lin Ran herself came into contact with these kinds of feelings, she had always thought that the reason Sister Huo Wan treated her sister so well was because it was a rare kind of friendship in this world.

Only now did she realize… bah! What friendship?

If this didn’t count as love?!

Lin Ran often noticed that when several of them were together, the way Sister Huo Wan looked at her sister seemed to hide something sticky and inexplicable. The thing inside that gaze only became more and more obvious as they slowly grew up, until it could not be hidden at all.

That was something… that should be called affection, right?

Lin Ran could be considered someone who had witnessed the transformation in Huo Wan and her sister’s roles from childhood to adulthood.

In the past, it had always been her sister taking care of Huo Wan. But she did not know from which day of which year it began, when the two of them seemed to suddenly swap identities. Huo Wan became the one who took care of and tolerated the other more.

It was as if she had shed her childishness and immaturity overnight. As long as it was something related to her sister, Huo Wan would think it over three times before making a decision.

Probably only her idiot sister would think Huo Wan treated her as her best friend.

Idiot sister, straight-as-steel woman!

Lin Ran secretly gave Lin Dang this title in private.

They grew up in this noisy, carefree environment. Lin Dang and Lin Ran had been raised half free-range. Their parents never spoiled them. The ideas instilled into them most were to rely on themselves and stand on their own two feet.

None of the bad habits people associated with children raised in wealthy families could be found in them.

The family of four was harmonious and joyful.

Perhaps the heavens saw that their lives had gone too smoothly and felt a little sorry toward all the suffering beings in the world. And so, they sent them a catastrophe that could wipe out everything, forcefully dragging the two children still sheltered beneath their parents’ wings out into the ugliness, storms, and cruelty of the world.

That was the first time Lin Dang and Lin Ran saw a human corpse.

The corpse still retained its owner’s body heat. When the white cloth was lifted, more than half the face was a bloody, mangled mess.

Lin Hai’s car had collided with a truck driver who was drunk on his way home. The piercing sound of emergency braking and the sound of cars crashing together. With the truck showing no sign of slowing down at all, this was a crushing collision with no suspense whatsoever. A young life that had been shining so brightly quietly disappeared from this world.

There was no need to call an ambulance.

Ms. Zhao Xiangmei cried until she fainted. The couple had always had a very good relationship. Even after decades of marriage, with their children already this grown, the feelings between husband and wife were still almost no different from when they had been passionately in love.

Lin Hai would still bring home small gifts from time to time to make his wife happy, just like when they had first started dating years ago.

Grandma lost her son in her old age and nearly suffered a bout of palpitations.

The news that the chairman of the Lin Group had passed away in an accidental car crash very quickly made the headlines [unauthorized copy]of all the major newspapers, and the group descended into chaos. As the only person who could represent her husband, Ms. Zhao Xiangmei was immersed in the grief of losing him, as if everything in the outside world had nothing to do with her.

There was no one to preside over the board of directors. Everyone throughout the group was anxious and unsettled, and the stock price fell again and again.

It was at this time that Lin Dang forced herself to stand up and face all of this cold and unfamiliar reality.

Mm… she knew her mother was not doing it on purpose. Her mother was just too tired.

And as Grandma’s granddaughter, as her mother and father’s daughter, and as Lin Ran’s sister, when there was no one else who could stand up to protect this family, she had to step forward without hesitation, protect her family, and look after the Lin Group that her parents had built with their own hands.

Lin Ran was still young. She should not have to touch the filth of society.

Lin Dang took over the shares from her mother and assumed the position of acting chairman.

There were piles of reports in the group company that she could not understand, her father’s funeral still had not been properly arranged, and countless pairs of eyes were watching her from the dark. Too many people were guessing that the Lin Group would not survive this storm. The Lin Group, which had once been thriving and rising steadily, was now swaying on the edge of a cliff.

And below that cliff was a pack of wolves, tigers, and leopards, waiting for them to fall so they could tear them apart and swallow them whole, leaving nothing behind.

Huo Wan took a long leave from school and came back, staying by Lin Dang’s side without leaving for even a step. She was truly afraid that under this kind of high-pressure blow, something would go wrong with Lin Dang’s mental state.

After all, as a medical student, influenced by what she saw and read the original at bailiantales.comheard, she had seen far too many examples like this.

People who never recovered after a major upheaval in life.

People who fell into ruin from then on, or developed depression—there were countless kinds.

Lin Dang knew what Huo Wan was worried about, but she knew she was not that kind of person. Her body carried the blood of her father and mother, along with excellent genes. No matter what the reason was, she could not collapse now. She could only move forward. Even if she had to crawl, she had to crawl forward.

She was like a young emperor, forced onto the throne before she had fully grown, hastily pushed into power.

Fortunately, aside from those in the group whose intentions were improper, those who relied on their seniority, and those who wanted to seize power, there were still many loyal friends who had started the business together with her father and mother back then and walked alongside them all the way.

They were willing to offer timely help in the snow under such disadvantaged circumstances and support her rise to power.

The names and faces of these people were all memorized by Lin Dang one by one. She always remembered what her parents had taught her: one must be grateful, and the kindness of even a single drop of water should be repaid with a gushing spring.

Her schoolwork was temporarily set aside, and Lin Dang entrusted someone to handle the procedures for taking a leave of absence.

Lin Hai had been a decent man in life and had a very good reputation. On the day of his burial, people came one after another. There were many familiar faces and many unfamiliar ones too. Her mother’s mental state was completely unable to come out and receive these guests, and Grandma was old in years, making it even more impossible.

Accompanied by her mother’s secretary, Xiao Liu, Lin Dang thanked the guests one by Read on BaiLianTales one in a manner that looked quite proper. She wore a suit and leather shoes, her expression solemn and heavy. There was light makeup on her face, but it still could not hide the exhaustion there. Before the greenness of youth had fully faded from her, she had already been placed in the jianghu.

Before her sword had even been properly fastened, she had turned around and found herself in the world of conflict.

Huo Wan stood beside her holding an umbrella, silently accompanying her from beginning to end. Her gaze did not shift for even a moment, following that figure as it moved.

Some kinds of sorrow and grief could not be shared by others. Too many words were not needed. She only wanted Lin Dang to know that she was there.

Her girl had truly grown up.