"Good, baby, mommy and daddy both love you; we’ll be back soon," Su Lu said.
Zhao Xiaole obediently hummed in response but couldn’t help but ask, "How is my second uncle doing?"
"He’ll be fine," Su Lu comforted.
Once Xiaole had calmed down and been taken care of, Su Lu and Bo Jingshen felt at ease to head to Feng City.
They bought tickets for the soonest available flight; because it was so last minute and rushed, there weren’t even business class seats available, only economy.
Fortunately, neither Bo Jingshen nor Su Lu were fussy about such matters, not having high demands for comfort.
When the plane took off, Bo Jingshen felt somewhat nervous, but he wasn’t sure if it was because he felt particularly reassured being with Su Lu or because he was too preoccupied with many other matters to focus on his panic.
He took out his laptop to work during the flight, which made the long flight bearable.
He felt nervous again when landing, but being only briefly anxious during takeoff and landing was already a significant improvement and breakthrough.
Bo Jingshen felt that if he traveled regularly with Su Lu, his fear of flying might improve.
Upon arrival, their driver was already waiting outside.
His secretary, sitting in the passenger seat, greeted, "Boss, long time no see."
The secretary obviously knew about Bo Jingshen and Su Lu’s marriage by then, so he turned and smiled at Su Lu, "Mrs., long time no see."
"Hello," Su Lu nodded.
Bo Jingshen asked, "Where’s Cheng Yan?"
"Special Assistant Cheng..." The secretary looked somewhat troubled. "He’s too busy."
In fact, Cheng Yan was so busy and overwhelmed with work that complaints often escaped his lips, like, "I will eventually usurp Bo Jingshen,"
or, "If I can’t hold up, I’ll just hang myself by the neck at Bo Jingshen’s doorstep."
So, picking up Bo Jingshen from the airport? There was no way Cheng Yan would do that.
Seeing the secretary hesitant to speak, Bo Jingshen nodded, "I understand."
He didn’t talk about repaying with his life, but he at least had to sweeten Cheng Yan up.
A boss sweetening up an assistant wasn’t an issue, primarily when the assistant was someone like Cheng Yan, who simply lacked the initiative to stand on his own.
Otherwise, he could be a boss in a minute; Cheng Yan had already invested in a few businesses and hired professional managers to handle them—he was basically a boss already.
Handling his own business with professional managers while serving as a professional manager for Bo Jingshen...
Anyway, Bo Jingshen felt he had to cling to Cheng Yan’s coattails for a lifetime.
"Shall I take you back?" the secretary asked. Get full chapters from novᴇlfire.net
Bo Jingshen shook his head, "Did you bring the items you were asked to?"
"Brought them; your black suit and the madam’s black dress are all in the trunk," said the secretary. "They’ve already been ironed."
"Find a place for us to change clothes, and then go directly to the funeral hall," Bo Jingshen said.
The driver soon stopped the car in a very secluded place, and he and the secretary both got out.
The SUV was roomy enough and the windows were one-way tinted.
Bo Jingshen and Su Lu quickly changed their clothes, and the car continued towards the funeral hall.
They had immediately headed to the airport after attending Old Sir Shen’s birthday banquet; they bought the soonest flight, a red-eye. By the time the plane landed in Feng City, it was already late at night, and by the time they went from the airport to the funeral hall, it was midnight.
This place must be the least visited part of the entire city.
It’s uncertain whether it’s due to its suburban location or just an illusion, but although it still felt like the tail end of a hot summer, it was rather chilly here.
Su Yukan’s memorial service was set in the Wansong Hall of the Feng City Funeral Hall.
It felt chilly outside, but inside the building it was fine, and other halls were also hosting memorial services.
All the deceased were elderly with many descendants; thus, even late into the night, when there were no more guests to mourn, the descendants stayed together in the memorial hall. They cried together, and when bored, they played cards. Although the atmosphere was sorrowful, it was still lively.
Only Su Yukan’s hall was cold and empty.
His large portrait was surrounded by white and yellow chrysanthemums.
Large black and white mourning banners hung from the ceiling, the air was tinged with the scent of incense, and the speakers played unintelligible scriptures.
There were no joyful gatherings of descendants, no guests, nothing at all.
Only on a cushion in front of the portrait knelt a lone, slender figure.
The black shirt he wore hung loose and billowy on him, as if his bony frame had little flesh to fill it out.
Seeing his figure from behind, Su Lu’s heart felt a pinch.
Since childhood, he had protected her; in her gloomy childhood and youth, he was the sole beacon of light.
Such a frail and lonely figure—it stabbed at Su Lu’s heart.
She opened her mouth, momentarily speechless.
After taking a deep breath and steadying her emotions, she managed a slightly hoarse voice, "Brother."
Su Zhe had been placing paper money into a brazier; the firelight reflected in his dim eyes.
Hearing the familiar voice behind him, he paused, his hand stopping mid-action, a spark of light igniting in his dim eyes.
He turned to look at them.
"Lulu," Su Zhe said, "you’ve come so late?"
Su Lu sniffled, holding back her emotions, "Did you really think we were here just as guests, that we’d show up during the day and leave just like that?"
Su Lu seemed to want to smile at her, but couldn’t manage it.
Su Lu said, "Bo Jingshen and I, of course, came to keep vigil with you."
Because Su Zhe had turned around, Su Lu could now clearly see her brother’s condition; her eyes reddened as she spoke, "How have you... gotten so thin?"
Seeing her eyes redden, Su Zhe quickly said, "Don’t cry, I’m fine. I’ve always been thin, when have you seen me fat?"
"But..." Su Lu wanted to say that when he was with Shen Xun, he used to be heavier. Shen Xun always liked to take him out to eat or cook for him.
So, back then, Su Zhe, though not fat, was indeed in a healthier state, certainly not thin.
Not like now, no wind needed, he seemed like he might dissipate into the air.
"These days... I’ve been too busy," Su Zhe said in a low voice, "There was a problem with a batch of orders at the company; someone was cutting corners for personal gain, nearly causing a big disaster. It took a lot of effort to handle these issues. Then, father fell critically ill, and I’ve been continuously busy. Of course, I couldn’t gain weight."
Su Zhe gently squeezed her hand, "Don’t worry, once things settle down, I’ll take some time to rest and recover."