Chapter 655: Going Forward

The Jinghong Playhouse.

Creak—

A shovel plunged into the damp soil, pried it up twice, and a large clod of earth was overturned, covering the surface of a simple, plain coffin.

Kong Baosheng wiped his wet cheeks with his elbow, unable to tell if it was sweat, rain, or tears. His eyes were bloodshot, but he stubbornly continued to pry at the soil, burying the coffin beneath the playhouse.

Li Qingshan stood at the back courtyard entrance, watching the scene with a profoundly complex expression.

After they parted ways at the playhouse, Kong Baosheng began to manage his grandmother's funeral arrangements alone. The surrounding streets had been reduced to ruins, and no funeral homes were open for business. He could only dismantle several old wooden planks from the playhouse and carefully hammer them together, never once allowing Li Qingshan to assist him.

No one would have thought that the last task this resourceful young man would undertake at the Jinghong Playhouse was to personally build a coffin for his grandmother. Although simple, it was filled with his heart and emotions, and his rough hands were abraded until they bled.

“Hello, is Kong Baosheng here?” Just as Kong Baosheng was still diligently burying the coffin, a voice came from outside the door.

Li Qingshan and Kong Baosheng turned their heads and saw several figures at the playhouse entrance, carrying bamboo baskets on their backs and looking inside.

“That's me,” Kong Baosheng replied, holding the iron shovel, his brow slightly furrowed.

“We are from the Huang Consortium. Miss Huang asked us to deliver flowers to a young man named Kong Baosheng.” After the leader spoke, the group simultaneously lowered the bamboo baskets they carried on their backs. When the lids were opened, a multitude of fresh flowers were revealed to Kong Baosheng.

The varieties of these flowers were similar, but their colors varied. Even though they had been out of the soil for some time, they were still fresh and full, vibrant with life.

Kong Baosheng froze in place.

“Our Miss originally intended to send a whole carload of flowers,” the person paused, “but the surrounding streets are too severely damaged for cars to enter. Also, there’s nowhere to buy flowers now, so we could only bring these. Please accept them.”

Li Qingshan, witnessing this, couldn't help but exclaim:

“Miss Huang is truly thoughtful… People say there are no honest merchants, but Miss Huang conducts business with a benevolent heart. A person like her is truly one in a million.”

Kong Baosheng stared blankly at the multitude of fresh flowers, his lips unconsciously pursed. He bowed deeply to the group:

“Please thank Miss Huang for me. I, Kong Baosheng, will surely repay this kindness in the future.”

The people from the Huang Consortium left in a hurry after delivering the flowers.

Kong Baosheng carried the bamboo baskets to the backyard and arranged the flowers over the newly filled-in earth. The colorful blooms swayed gently in the wind and rain, transforming the previously desolate and bleak atmosphere into one vibrant with life.

Since there was no place to get a tombstone, Kong Baosheng could only engrave his grandmother’s name on a wooden board and insert it among the clusters of flowers in the soil.

The wind and rain rustled through the flowers that filled the courtyard.

Kong Baosheng, drenched from head to toe, stood there, looking down at the inscription amidst the flowers, and softly said:

“Mr. Li… you said that my grandmother did so many good deeds in her life. She’ll surely be reborn into a good life and enjoy peace and happiness in her next life, right?”

“Of course,” Li Qingshan nodded. “Good people will be rewarded.”

Kong Baosheng took a deep breath and looked back at Li Qingshan:

“Mr. Li, you should leave now…”

“You have to come with me.”

“I don’t want to go… This is my home. Aside from this playhouse, I have nothing left.” Kong Baosheng looked down at the inscription among the flowers, as if seeing his grandmother standing in the playhouse, smiling at him. His face showed profound reluctance.

Li Qingshan knew it would be difficult to convince Kong Baosheng; the child was simply too stubborn… He simply stepped forward and struck Kong Baosheng on the back of the head with his palm, knocking him unconscious instantly.

Kong Baosheng only felt a gust of strong wind; his eyes rolled back as he lost consciousness, collapsing stiffly into Li Qingshan’s arms.

“I’m sorry, Baosheng,” Li Qingshan whispered.

Li Qingshan could understand Kong Baosheng’s thoughts, but he couldn’t bring himself to watch the child stay behind and face danger alone… Even if Kong Baosheng resented him later, he still had to take the child to Willow Town.

With his travel bag slung over his shoulder and Kong Baosheng in his arms, Li Qingshan walked straight out of the Jinghong Playhouse’s main entrance.

The drizzling rain fell on him, wetting his black hair. He couldn't help but look back, at an empty, desolate playhouse standing silently amidst the misty rain…

Li Qingshan knew this might be the last time he would see the Jinghong Playhouse.

“...Goodbye,” he murmured to himself.

Huang Consortium.

“Miss, the assets have been mostly accounted for.”

In the dim room, Uncle Quan approached with over a dozen bodyguards carrying suitcases.

Due to the preceding large-scale convergence with the Gray Zone, the power grid of Red Dust City was largely crippled. Even though the Huang Consortium’s district wasn’t directly engulfed by the convergence, it was still affected. Fortunately, the light was still sufficient at that moment, so even without lamps, they could clearly see their surroundings.

“Speak.”

“The consortium’s cash reserves are already being loaded onto vehicles; the remainder, which couldn’t be loaded, is here. As for fixed assets, there’s no time to convert them to cash, so they will likely have to be sacrificed… This includes several restaurants, factories, theaters, residential properties, and several undeveloped plots of land.”

Uncle Quan flipped through his notebook, stating concisely, “Fortunately, our consortium’s primary focus is entertainment, so fixed assets do not constitute a large portion of our assets. Even if we abandon those, the losses are manageable… All the artist contracts have also been properly packed and are in the cars.”

“We can depart for Willow Town at any time.”

Huang Suyue nodded slightly. She picked up her suitcase, containing her clothes and valuables, and was about to leave when her gaze fell upon a corner of the dressing table… A golden bracelet lay quietly there.

The moment she saw the golden bracelet, a memory flooded Huang Suyue’s mind.

Without a moment’s hesitation, she solemnly slipped the golden bracelet onto her wrist, picked up her suitcase, and walked out towards the dim doorway.

“Let’s go. We’re heading to Willow Town.”

“Yes.”

Escorted by over a dozen bodyguards, Huang Suyue went downstairs, where several black cars had been waiting for a long time.

A bodyguard opened the car door for her, and Huang Suyue and Uncle Quan entered one after another. As the door closed, the car started, slowly moving forward with a low rumble… Uncle Quan looked deeply through the window at the building that was gradually receding, and sighed deeply.

“I wonder what the consortium will look like when we return… It might well have already turned into ruins.”

“If it’s ruins, then let it be ruins.”

Huang Suyue sat upright in the back seat, her suitcase resting on her long, slender legs. She said firmly,

“…Wherever I am, that is where the Huang Consortium will be.”