Chapter 2

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The first ray of morning sunshine spilled into the bedroom through the windowpane, illuminating the frosty face of a sleeping man.

He had a very handsome face; tall, straight nose with thin lips giving a s.e.xy charm to his mature facial features. However, that face was too cold, even in sleep, his expression was tight and stiff, as if layered by a coat of glue.

Even the morning sun couldn"t breathe a breath of warmth into his body.

The man"s pale fingers gripped tightly onto the quilt, so firm that the blue veins on the back of his hands popped out. He was gently frowning, lips bitten by a row of straight teeth, apparently troubled by the monsters haunting his dreams.

Suddenly, the shrill rattle of an alarm clock interrupted the tranquility of the room, startling An Luo awake.

He eyed the clock on the wall: 7AM-there was an important meeting in the company he must attend. An Luo rubbed his aching temples and sat up in his pajamas. Quickly, he rushed to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face, washing away the demons of last night.

He reached for the black clothes on the hanger, meticulously putting them on and fastening the b.u.t.tons, then did his tie. After the whole ordeal, his appearance was transformed to that of an elite businessman.

In the mirror was a young and handsome man that was bursting with life. No one would a.s.sociate him with the lonely figure that smoked by the windows in the middle of the night.

An Luo watched his reflection fixing his shirt collar, then turned around and walked to the dining room.

An Yang was already there reading the newspapers. While biting into a piece of bread, there was a slight smile on his face, adorning the room with a warm, homey feeling. The sun shone from the window and casted upon him, giving a dazzling effect.

After so many years have pa.s.sed, An Luo thought he would at peace with himself, but every time he saw the man, his heart couldn"t help but to tighten. It had become an uncontrollable reflex, a habit and instinct.

An Luo stood in silence for a moment. He dropped his eyes and sucked in a breath before opening his mouth: "Gege, you"re early."

An Yang raised his head and smiled at him. "An Luo, come eat breakfast."

An Luo headed to the table and sat down. He took his prepared bread and dipped it into the sauce before taking a bite-the bread was deliciously baked and the milk was warmed just right. His brother was naturally a very gentle person, but some of that gentleness had disappeared the moment Su Zihang died.

Thinking of Su Zihang, a burst of pain exploded in An Luo"s heart. He hurried to press the thoughts back down to the abyss of his mind.

The atmosphere was too awkward, so An Luo thought of a topic to talk about: "Gege, what are you reading in the news?"

Hearing his question, An Yang smiled and handed the newspaper over. Pointing to the t.i.tle, he said, "Shao Rong and his father joined the research on organ transplantation, he even gave a speech about it at the London Medical a.s.sociation. The child is quite promising."

Shao Rong, as mentioned by An Yang, was their nephew. His father, Shao Chenggeng, was a surgical genius. Influenced by his father, he embarked on the path of studying medicine. Currently, he is practicing in the hospital where Shao Changgeng is located in the U.K.

An Luo looked down at the newspaper, seeing that it was indeed a picture of Shao Rong with a microphone giving a speech. The little crying boy in his memories was now a handsome young man.

In a flash, he and An Yang had been brother for more than 20 years.

The years didn"t seem to leave many traces on An Yang. He was still as young as before, with the ever present warm smile on his face. As a golden bachelor, there was a long line of pursuers chasing him, but An Yang never fell in love again. An Luo knew that his heart had long since been with his beloved Su Zihang, following him in that cold tombstone 20 years ago.

After a long silence, An Luo whispered, "Su Zhihang"s anniversary… Is it tomorrow?"

An Yang calmly replied, "Yes, I intend to take this afternoon"s flight back to see him."

An Luo said, "Let"s go back together, I also have to return."

Puzzle, An Yang looked up. "What are you going to do?"

He answered, "The ancestral home will be demolished soon, but some problems arisen so I need to go back and deal with them."

An Yang nodded, "Well, I"ll leave the tickets for you to book."

"Ah, rest a.s.sured."

An Luo arrived to the company at eight o"clock, precisely on time. He took the elevator to the office on the 28th floor. There, he saw that Lisa, the beautiful and young a.s.sistant, had been waiting for him for a long time. She smiled and greeted him, "An Zong, good morning."

"’Morning," An Luo nodded at her. He hung his suit on the hanger by the door, then sat down on the swivel chair at the front table, reading over the itinerary she gave him. "What are the arrangements for tomorrow?"

"There will be a conference you have to attend in the afternoon, then at night, there is Zhou Sho"s birthday party…"

An Lou frowned. "Push it off. I"m taking a three-day vacation."

Lisa hesitated, then said, "Okay, I got it."

Having been An Lou"s a.s.sistant for a year, she had already figured out his temper. An Lou was cold-hearted; a living statue. The consequences of provoking him are very serious, but to what extent, n.o.body knows because no one had ever dared to find out.

As his personal a.s.sistant, the only thing she could do is obey his orders obediently.

Satisfied by his clever a.s.sistant, An Lou looked up at her and said, "Book two plane tickets to China that leaves in the afternoon. If there are any problems during the three days I’m gone, call me."

Lisa respectfully nodded: "Understood."

"Okay, you may leave."

After sending Lisa away, An Luo stood up and poured himself a gla.s.s of water. He walked to the gla.s.s window, quietly observing the noisy street below.

Unlike the place of his birth, this city was bustling with its skysc.r.a.pers in downtown, built with a modern, urban design, and cold, metallic material that glowed proudly with l.u.s.ter as the morning sun shines upon it.

None of these buildings are below twenty levels; the kingdom of trade appeared extraordinary grand and majestic, but did nothing to hide the brutality and indifference its empire of wealth was built on.

At the top, the vehicles and crowd beneath were like ants.

He recalled to when he was young, living with his mother in his grandmother"s house in the countryside. She planted cherry trees in her yard, so every time the cherries were in season, he would stand barefoot underneath a tree and pick a bowl full of fruits, not going a second without stuffing one into his mouth.

At that time, he had never seen such tall building, only surrounded by houses two or three stories tall, low enough to be able to greet friends downstairs; at that time, he did not think about the unfamiliar concept of business and finance; at that time, he was not as cold and detached as he was now, even willing to smile at pa.s.sing strangers.

After his mother"s death, he was taken home by his father, and his life began to change completely.

Now, finally standing at the highest peak of power, An Lou found that he was not happy.

He can hardly even have a good night sleep.

The repeated nightmares always woke him up in the early hours of the morning. After a few years of this, his body had lost weight, spirit worse than ever before. This, coupled with his unspeakable feelings for his brother, had kept him in a state of extreme depression. He even had to rely on psychologists to reduce the burdens.

He was tired. Up until now, there are no successors. The company left by his father couldn"t be destroyed by his hands, so he could only preserve it.

Only, he didn’t know what the point was anymore. It was impossible for their family to have future offsprings. No more money will be earned and no one will inherit it. When his time comes to an end, the family-ran industry will eventually turn into soap bubbles.

When the phone on the table rang, An Luo suddenly felt somewhat weary.

It turned out to be his a.s.sistant, reporting that the tickets had been booked and his flight was at half-past three in the afternoon. An Luo said "thank you" before hanging up.

He sat silently on the swivel chair for a while before picking up the phone again, dialing another number.

"Lawyer Zhang? Come to my office, ah, now… I want to make a will."

It may be hard to imagine why such a young man such as himself suddenly wanted to conceive a will, and only An Luo himself will ever know the reason why.

He has no parents, no lover, no children-no one other than An Yang. If he were to suddenly die one day in some corner of the world, not many would grief.

Living such a lonely life, he has to plan for the worst.

Perhaps the only thing he could do if he were to die is leave his legacy to An Yang.

Although the inheritance in An Yang"s eyes is nothing, it is all that he has.

The author has something to say: Many people misunderstood; this novel"s CP is not An Yang. An Yang and Su Zihang is an irreversible pair-in An Yang"s mind, there is only Su Zihang and no one else. I do not want to give Xiao Luo a HE.

Golden Bachelor(黃金單身): A rich, single man

Zong(總): Head; chief

Turn into soap bubbles(化為泡影): Idiom; come to nothing

CP: ML, love interest, etc

Xiao: Small, little. (And don"t worry, the author means in this lifetime, not the next. This novel will have a HE (　◠ ◡ ◠　). )

T/N: Last line hit me right in the kokoro. ( ′̥̥̥ ⌑ ‵̥̥̥ )

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