Chapter 432: Those bound by fate can meet again, even across mountains and seas

Lin Zhao’s expression brightened, and she sat up straight.

“Really? Then it should be soon!” Her eyes shone with anticipation.

It was said her grandfather, Master Lin Fu, had once been one of Haicheng’s top figures, immensely famous, known to all.

He began learning business from Master Lin when he was five.

He never lost money on any deal.

He was a naturally gifted merchant.

He was also generous and well-connected, with friends scattered across Tiannanhaibei—everyone who mentioned him would raise a thumb.

Lin Zhao was full of curiosity about this mysterious, legendary figure.

“Yes, soon.” Lin Heling’s eyes darkened slightly, his emotions complicated.

He looked forward to reuniting with his family.

But…

Thinking of his father’s grave, unknown and untouched in the ancestral tomb, Lin Heling’s throat tightened, a bitter ache spreading through his heart.

…

Gu Chan arrived in Haicheng on the third day of the New Year.

This family had never entered a Western-style house before; they froze at the front gate, stunned by the grand ironwork gate.

Wei Yan stared blankly, turning to look at Wei Chuan.

“Brother, are Grandpa and Grandma living inside?!” He scratched his head. “Are you sure? This place looks more like a boss or high official’s home.”

Gu Chan nodded vigorously. “Mm-hmm, I feel the same.”

Wei Xiangdong didn’t speak, but his expression said the same.

Wei Chuan said nothing and pressed the doorbell.

Soon, someone ran to open the door.

Gu Yu ran ahead.

“Auntie! My aunt’s here!” Her eyes lit up as she shouted, rushing to open the door.

Hearing Gu Yu’s loud, energetic voice, Qian Bao and the others rushed to the door to greet their aunt’s family.

Seeing their aunt, uncle, and cousins carrying loads of gifts, the boys quickly took the items from them.

“Auntie, Uncle, Grandpa and Grandma are waiting for you,” Gu Lan linked arms with her aunt and led her toward the parlor.

Gu Chan wasn’t in a hurry; she stared at the large garden beside her, where flowers bloomed even now, strikingly bright.

“There’s a garden too? So beautiful—I was too afraid to step inside when I stood at the gate, worried I’d wandered into the wrong place.”

These words happened to reach Gu Mu, who had come out to greet her daughter.

“You wouldn’t come when I called you for years, and now you’re only recognizing your own front door? Who’s to blame?”

Gu Chan smiled, helping her mother into the house. “Oh, I just didn’t want to lose my full attendance bonus—round trips mean taking leave. I thought the New Year was just months away, and I’d see you soon anyway, so here I am.”

“Money’s endless,” Gu Mu said. “Chuan graduated university and got a state-assigned job; Xiao Yan’s a professional athlete who won gold for the country—who needs you to worry? Don’t even mention marrying them off—Xiangdong has a pig farm, he’s long saved enough for his son’s bride price. You’re not young anymore; enjoy yourself. Don’t end up older than me in a few years.”

She knew many elderly women in Haicheng, influenced by modern ideas that believed in enjoying life now.

Enjoy while you can—life is short.

Gu Chan looked at her mother in surprise. “Mom, you’ve changed so much.”

Gu Mu lifted her head, her eyes proud. “Of course I have—I’m now Haicheng’s fashionable old lady, open-minded and cheerful.”

“Impressive,” Gu Chan praised. “I’ll learn from you.”

Gu Fu was eager to show off his parrot. He waited patiently, but his wife kept talking to their daughter. Finally, when they finished, he passed by his eldest daughter again and cleared his throat loudly.

“Hmph!”

Gu Chan looked over. “Dad, you got a bird?”

“That’s a rude way to say it. His name is Fei Qiu.” Gu Fu frowned.

Gu Chan: “?”

What did she say?

“...Hello, Fei Qiu,” Gu Chan forced a smile and greeted her father’s bird.

Gu Fu beamed. “Fei Qiu, say hello to my daughter.”

Fei Qiu chirped: “Daughter, hello! Happy New Year!”

Gu Chan: “...”

Gu Fu was delighted. “My parrot’s doing well, right?”

“...Mm.”

Gu Fu, satisfied, went to show off to his two grandsons.

Nearby, Wei Yan was surrounded by cousins, having his cheeks pinched and his head ruffled.

“I touched the champion’s head—I’m not washing my hands today, what an honor!” Gu Xingci laughed.

“This is the champion—right here in front of me, alive!” Gu Yu sighed.

She suddenly had an idea and beamed. “Xiao Shitou, can you take a photo with me? I’ll bring it to school to show my friends.”

Wei Yan blushed, embarrassed.

He played ping-pong fiercely but was shy by nature, blushing easily; the thought of his cousin showing his photo around school made him flustered.

“...Is that really necessary?”

Gu Yu shouted, “Yes! My cousin’s a champion—how glorious! My classmates will be jealous, you believe me?”

Wei Yan looked slightly embarrassed.

“Sister Yu...” He tried to reason.

Gu Yu crossed her arms. “Are you taking it or not?”

Wei Yan wilted. “...Fine.”

“Say ‘take it,’ not ‘fine.’ Can’t you be more straightforward, big man?” Gu Yu asked.

“...Take it.” Wei Yan said.

Gu Yu instantly beamed, patting her little cousin’s head. “Good boy.”

Wei Yan, flustered and indignant, said, “Sister Yu, I’m not a child anymore!”

“Of course you’re not—you’re a big boy now, and a champion!” Gu Yu teased.

Wei Yan quickly ran away from Gu Yu and went to play with Qian Bao.

He noticed: Gu Yu teased everyone, but was afraid of Qian Bao.

He cautiously peeked at Qian Bao and whispered, “Qian Bao, what did you do? Why’s Sister Yu scared of you?”

Qian Bao’s calm eyes flickered with confusion. “Nothing.”

“Then why doesn’t Sister Yu tease you?” Wei Yan scratched his head, bewildered.

Qian Bao stayed silent—he didn’t know either.

Lin Zhao smiled in reply to Xiao Shitou’s question. “Because Qian Bao is like your third uncle—she’s afraid of your third uncle.”

Wei Yan looked at his third uncle, glanced once, then looked away.

He did look... kind of similar.

He hated that he didn’t look like his third uncle.

“It’s no good being so shy, Xiao Shitou,” Lin Zhao said. “You might have to go on TV for interviews someday—what will you do then?”

Wei Yan felt the world collapsing, his eyes filled with panic.

“Huh?!!” He looked helplessly at his

Gu Chan gave him a helpless look.

“I can’t help you with this.”

Wei Yan turned to his father.

Wei Xiangdong was speechless.

“Why look at me? Should I go do the interview for you? Afraid I’ll embarrass you?”

Wei Yan immediately said, “No embarrassment, Dad’s awesome.”

The last three words made his father beam, his lips curling high, as if he’d already agreed.

Considering reality, Wei Xiangdong said, “The ping-pong team isn’t just you—let Da Long go. He’s articulate—he’ll handle it fine.”

Wei Yan’s eyes lit up. Right.

“Thanks, Dad.”

At that moment, Fei Qiu mimicked him. The room fell silent, then erupted in laughter.

“Hahahaha...”

Joyful laughter spread through the warm parlor.

After the New Year, the lively Western-style house was half-empty.

The Gu family scattered to their own affairs; Lin Zhao returned to the capital with her husband and children.

The Lin family on the other side of the strait hadn’t returned to Haicheng yet, but Lin Zhao met an old acquaintance at home first.

She was working on her illustrations when she heard a familiar yet distant voice while fetching water; she followed the sound.

“Li Xin?”

Jin Lixin stood up and smiled at Lin Zhao. “Auntie Lin, it’s me—I’m here to see Zhihang.”

His eyes were no longer covered by that conspicuous black cloth; he had prosthetic eyes installed.

“You got prosthetic eyes? That’s great—any discomfort?” Lin Zhao asked with concern.

“No.” Jin Lixin rubbed his head and smiled.

The Jin family felt guilty toward him; over the years, they indulged him, letting him do whatever he wanted without restraint, granting him absolute freedom. The last of his stubbornness was washed away by love, and now Jin Lixin had the openness of his age.

“How are your mother and Xue Qinghua? Are they all right?!” Lin Zhao asked again.

“They’re fine. My mother often speaks of you—she said after you left, she didn’t know who to turn to, and life felt meaningless. Xue Qing originally wanted to come find Zhihang, but something urgent came up—some assignment—and he had to postpone visiting. Hua’er is well too…” Jin Lixin was straightforward and shared many details about the military district.

Lin Zhao listened patiently.

“This is your first time here? Let Zhihang show you around.”

She didn’t interrupt the two boys’ conversation, gave them space, and returned to her study.

Gu Zhihang invited Jin Lixin to eat, drink, and chat.

Jin Lixin brought up the real reason for his visit: “Zhihang, I heard you’ve formed a convoy?”

“Yes. You want to join?” Gu Zhihang asked in return.

Jin Lixin answered without hesitation: “Yes, I want to join. Do you need me?”

“Of course. I’m short on people.” Gu Zhihang welcomed him warmly.

He had always gotten along well with Jin Lixin and was satisfied with his intellect and character.

Jin Lixin’s eyes lit up. “Do you still need investors?”

Gu Zhihang said, “Not really. You know—I’m not short on money.”

“Sigh!” Jin Lixin sighed. “I found out too late.”

“Not too late,” Gu Zhihang said. “We can work on other projects together later.”

Jin Lixin’s eyes sparkled. “Deal! It’s settled then!”

He had great faith in Gu Zhihang.

Over the past few years, Jin Lixin had made plenty of money. To him, money was what gave him a sense of security—he’d suffered enough, and now he’d saved up a good sum.

He came to Gu Zhihang because he believed in his abilities—and more importantly, because of his connections.

Not to mention his own father, but his uncles and aunts were all successful; doing business came more naturally to him than to those without connections. When else would he cling to such a powerful ally?

After chatting with Gu Zhihang, Jin Lixin left whistling a tune.

When he arrived at his lodging, the front desk told him he had a phone call.

Jin Lixin went to return the call.

“Hello, what is it?”

Xue Qinghua’s heart sank at the sound. “Brother, did you see Hengbao?”

“I saw him. What?” Jin Lixin countered. “Do you have something?”

“Nothing much. I just wanted to ask if Hengbao mentioned me,” Xue Qinghua asked hopefully.

“No,” Jin Lixin teased. “Anything else? If not, I’m hanging up.”

“...Oh, then go ahead.” Xue Qinghua’s voice drooped.

Big brother is so cold, ugh.

Jin Lixin could almost picture his dumb brother’s expression. Having teased him enough, he added before hanging up: “He did ask about you.”

He left those three words, then hung up before Xue Qinghua could respond, enjoying his mischief.

“??”

Xue Qinghua’s face lit up with joy—then froze when he heard the dial tone.

Aaaahhhhh…

Annoying, so annoying! Big brother is the worst!

He trudged home, dejected.

Jin Hua’er was doing homework. Seeing her second brother looking so gloomy, she remained calm. “Did Big Brother tease you again?”

Xue Qinghua perked up. “You don’t know how cruel he is—he hung up on me mid-sentence…”

Jin Hua’er wasn’t surprised. “That’s normal.”

“What’s normal about that?!” Xue Qinghua’s voice shot up.

“Everything about it is normal.”

Jin’s wife heard the siblings arguing again. Quietly, she took her needlework and slipped away from the battlefield.

…

In an era of rebuilding from scratch, every industry held a bright future.

After Lin Shi’s factory streamlined its sales channels, it began explosive growth.

Gu Zhihang’s transportation company grew the same way—in a short time, it expanded from five vehicles to fifteen, then to twenty…

With capital in hand, he invested in construction materials, energy, small appliances, and more—his assets accumulated rapidly.

Lin Heling watched quietly, and privately told Song Xi: “Hengbao is just like Father. Though I never saw Father in his youth, I can imagine—he must have been as spirited and radiant as Hengbao.”

Song Xi listened in silence.

By now, her father-in-law must be quite elderly. But Heling said the Lin family had a special health regimen—if one had the means, longevity was easy.

They should meet again.

If they didn’t… how heartbroken would Heling be? She truly feared she couldn’t comfort her.

Those destined to meet can reunite even across mountains and seas.

The Lin family, having overcome countless hardships to return to the mainland, brought investment intentions. Everyone knew they were wealthy; the investment promotion department gave them top priority and assigned dedicated personnel to liaise with them.

First to return were Lin Yu and her fiancé, Cen Yan.

Lin Yu wore a black, deep-V, thin-strap long dress, a string of lustrous pearl necklace around her neck, high heels on her feet, long brown hair cascading down her back, her face meticulously made up, her figure graceful and alluring—she glowed as she walked.

The man beside her wore a crisp suit, tall and slender, with handsome features and confident expression; every gesture radiated refined upbringing.

“We’ve arranged a car. Mr. Cen, Ms. Lin, please follow me,” the reception chief said calmly and respectfully.

Cen Yan nodded. “Thank you for the trouble.”

He helped his fiancée into the car.

Lin Yu sat inside. The car had no incense, and it felt stuffy. She frowned slightly, uncomfortable—the seats were too hard.

Cen Yan rolled down the window and gave her a reassuring glance.

Their new car wouldn’t arrive for two days—they’d have to make do for now.

Lin Yu had never known hardship, but she wasn’t spoiled. Though uncomfortable, she didn’t throw a tantrum—she just spoke less.

Cen Yan smiled apologetically at the front-seat attendant. “My fiancée isn’t feeling well. Please forgive any rudeness.”

The attendant had thought he’d offended her by stepping into the car with his right foot first—he’d assumed his funding bid was ruined. To his shock, things turned around.

“Do you need to go to the hospital?” he asked politely.

Cen Yan shook his head. “Thank you, no. Rest will be enough.”

He’d better hurry those people up—why so slow? If they don’t send Lin Yu’s usual things soon, I’ll cut their bonuses in half.