Chapter 245: Laid to Rest

Pili, usually so strong, now looked as fragile as a piece of paper.

Shen Ci's heart gave a sudden tug.

She slowly walked up and stood in front of Pili. Her mouth moved, but she was momentarily speechless, unable to even utter words of comfort, leaving only heartache in her eyes.

Pili slowly raised her head. The corridor outside the morgue was pure white and quiet enough to make one feel dazed. Pili looked at Shen Ci and muttered: "A-Ci, why does it feel like a dream?"

She felt her eyes dry, unable to even cry, but her heart felt like it had been crushed by a bulldozer, a shattering pain!

Shen Ci squatted down and knelt beside Pili, reaching out to gently embrace her head. Any language seemed pale and powerless in the face of life and death. All she could do was tell Pili that she was always there and would always accompany her.

Not to mention Pili feeling like it was a dream, even Shen Ci felt it was very sudden.

Not long ago, Pili had told her that she had already contacted a hospital abroad, but her mentor's condition wasn't suitable for forced movement. It required meticulous arrangements to transfer hospitals by private plane, with professional medical staff accompanying her throughout to ensure nothing went wrong.

As a result, not even half a month had passed, and the person was gone.

Gu Lianxing also arrived quickly. She still had gauze on her forehead, but her heart was entirely on worrying about Pili, not considering herself at all. She only knew that Pili needed her and Shen Ci at this time, and she had to be there.

"Pili..."

Gu Lianxing squatted down and held Pili's hand. As soon as she spoke, her tone couldn't help but be wrapped in a clear crying voice.

She was always emotional and couldn't control herself at all.

As a result, her crying voice directly touched the emotions Pili had hidden deep inside. Pili looked at Lianxing, her mouth pouting, and tears instantly filled her eyelids, rolling down like pearls.

In the next second, she burst into loud sobs.

The sorrow suppressed in the bottom of her heart, the unwillingness and regret of not being able to save her mentor, were completely released at this moment. She cried heart-wrenchingly, and the sound of her crying echoed in the white corridor, sounding even more miserable, causing Shen Ci and Gu Lianxing to follow suit and shed tears.

The two hugged Pili from left and right, crying with her...

They didn't know how long they cried, until Pili cried until she was exhausted and her body went limp.

Shen Ci and Gu Lianxing, with red eyes, helped her to the chair to lean back, continuing to accompany her silently until Chen Baolin and Chen Sheng arrived.

Chen Sheng's eyes were red and swollen, clearly having cried as well, while Chen Baolin had a heavy and sorrowful expression.

"Master Chen, Brother Chen Sheng."

Shen Ci and Gu Lianxing stood up politely to greet them, saying in unison: "Please accept my condolences."

Chen Baolin looked at Pili and nodded silently: "It's great that you could come. Pili, she..."

"Master Chen, rest assured, Lianxing and I will always accompany her."

Gu Lianxing nodded hurriedly, tears welling up again, and she quickly turned away to wipe them off.

"Thank you," Chen Baolin said softly. "We have already arranged the subsequent matters. Shen Ci, thank you for your help during this period. Thank you very much."

"Don't say that, Master Chen. Regarding the courtyard, once you have finished handling your mentor's funeral, if you want to redeem it as soon as possible, we can handle the procedures at any time."

Originally, to save someone, Chen Baolin had sold the courtyard to Shen Ci. Now, not much money had been spent, but the person was already gone, so naturally, it should be returned to its original owner.

"Okay."

Chen Baolin said, taking two steps forward to Pili: "Pili, if you are willing, you can 'hold the portrait' for your mentor at her burial."

Pili slowly raised her head to look at Chen Baolin, her eyes full of shock, and then her gaze slowly moved to Chen Sheng's face.

"Holding the portrait"—is that something only biological children are qualified to do?

Chen Sheng choked: "I'll hold the ashes, you hold the portrait. My mother always treated you like her own daughter."

Pili's tears rolled down again uncontrollably, and she nodded forcefully.

Her mentor's remains were kept in the morgue for three days before being sent to the funeral home for cremation, and then laid to rest in Nanshan Cemetery.

Shen Ci, Gu Lianxing, and Shen Yuzhen, as Pili's friends, all wore black clothes and white flowers to pay their respects.

After the burial ceremony, Chen Baolin called Shen Ci aside.

"Shen Ci, the courtyard might not be able to be bought back for the time being. I hope you can give me a little more time. Originally, it didn't cost much, but my wife's funeral cost quite a bit, and I'm afraid I won't be able to make up for it in the short term."

Not to mention anything else, just a burial plot with good feng shui in Nanshan Cemetery cost nearly a thousand yuan. In this place in Longcheng where every inch of land is worth an inch of gold, a few square meters for the deceased were equivalent to a house.

But this was money that had to be spent. Chen Baolin didn't hesitate; he had to let his wife be buried decently.

"No problem, Master Chen. Rest assured, I won't resell this house to anyone else. Whenever you have enough money, we can transfer the title immediately."

With Shen Ci's words, Chen Baolin was relieved.

Pili knelt in front of the tombstone for a long, long time, her back looking heartbreakingly sad.

Several people stood far away watching. Shen Yuzhen sighed softly: "She was already thin, and now she's clearly lost another circle. It's truly heartbreaking to watch."

"She's been staying at my place these past few days, and Lianxing has been accompanying her. She doesn't cry or make a fuss, but she has no appetite. It's good if she can eat two bites a day," Shen Ci said helplessly.

Gu Lianxing was wiping tears again: "Why is Pili so pitiful? She lost her parents when she was young, and it was hard for her to have a mentor who treated her like her own. As a result, her mentor is gone. She's only twenty years old, why does she have to endure so much? God is truly unfair!"

"Should I move over for a couple of days to accompany her?" Shen Yuzhen asked suddenly.

Shen Ci nodded readily: "That's good too. More people can always distract her. I hope she can walk out of this soon."

So that evening, Shen Yuzhen brought a small suitcase and moved into the guest room of Shen Ci's house.

During this special period, Shen Ci almost never went out for non-essential matters, staying at home to watch over Pili. But today, there was news from Brother Xizi, and Shen Ci had to go to the appointment.

And the place agreed upon this time was precisely "Water Cloud Abode."

Shen Ci had never had the opportunity to see "Water Cloud Abode" before. Today, being there in person, she found that it was indeed unique.

It wasn't the kind of nouveau riche feeling of great wealth, but rather a low-key luxury revealed in every detail, very stylish and textured.

The entire club was operating as usual in an orderly manner. Who would have thought that its parent group was now teetering in the midst of a storm, and it was about to change to a new owner.

Guided all the way to the private room by a waiter in a white shirt and red vest, the door pushed open, and she was actually the last one to arrive.

Brother Xizi and Uncle Yang were already sitting opposite each other like the North and South Poles.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 246 =====