Chapter 445: Gain and loss

No one knew of Xu Tingsheng’s identity as a rebirthee. Therefore, there was no one who could truly understand him in the fullest sense.

Even as this made him self-assured, it also made him able to better understand the true nature of reality. That he was striving for many things was such that he would not let down this lifetime. And even as he lived it well, he would also not let down those he cared for.

Therefore, he had used his hard work to create an opportunity for his father, allowing his former youthful ambition which had been stifled for many years to be revitalised. The helplessness and stagnation from his previous life beneath the cruel ravages of time had finally been reversed.

He would also support those two good friends of his who had accompanied him for over a decade.

Huang Yaming yearned for power, wishing to rise above others. Yet, he had not possessed a sizeable background in his previous life and had lacked a fortuitous stroke of opportunity too. All his hard work had not brought him the success that he so sought. Therefore, Xu Tingsheng had created the necessary conditions and given him an opportunity, supporting him to become that tycoon of his desires.

Fu Cheng was satisfied with a simple, ordinary life. An artistic youth, emotions mattered over everything else for him. Therefore, Xu Tingsheng always made sure to keep him out of things like business, and conflicts. Since he was interested in music, Xu Tingsheng would give him a peace of mind as he pursued it.

Sadly, that failed relationship from his previous life had still not blossomed in this one. Xu Tingsheng had tried hard to smoothen the path for him, having tried to get the two of them together too. Still, even with foreknowledge, the human heart simply could not be predicted easily at all.

His little sister had once asked in his previous life: Why do I have to be more sensible than all the other children? ‘The children of the impoverished gain early competence’ seemed to be a kind of praise. Yet, in actual fact, how much bitterness and hardship was encompassed within?

Therefore, in this life, Xu Tingsheng would allow her to remain insensible.

In Xu Tingsheng’s previous life, his father had been in so many stifling parent-teacher meetings because of him. Therefore, Xu Tingsheng had returned him a Libei’s top scholar. On that day, at least, he had been high-spirited and laughing heartily. Even when drunk, he had still been happy and triumphant.

In his previous life, Xu Tingsheng had pointed to a tall building and a park and made Xiang Ning a promise. Yet, he had failed to deliver on this in the end. Therefore, in this life, he would return her a Ning Garden in the exact same place.

In his previous life, Xiang Ning had painstakingly waited for him for three years. Therefore, he had come to stay beside and protect her in this life from when she was at the age of fourteen…

Xu Tingsheng naturally had his own dreams and attachments too as he would not be able to break free of all of them. Still, he was definitely able to see beyond what the ordinary person could, allowing him to avoid needlessly caring about and delving into some issues too much.

In this post-rebirth life, feelings were more important than money, and people were more important than feelings. Such was Xu Tingsheng’s philosophy in life. Here, feelings were naturally not just limited to romantic feelings alone.

As someone who had tasted death before, if the current Xu Tingsheng still did not know that everything would ultimately return to the soil, did not understand where the meaning of life was to be found, and he devoted everything to achievement, money and power, how truly pitiful that would be.

He also wanted to use that success and glory to pave the way for a previously unimaginable life, such being what he had once striven for painstakingly his entire life yet failed to obtain. Still, he was more concerned about not being restrained by this success and glory, trapping himself in an imaginary web of his own creation.

Up till now, in the three years following his rebirth, Xu Tingsheng had already lived a period as a talented, successful youth. While what followed might be something resembling the leaving of talent to stagnate as nothing further came out of it, this had inevitably still been an enjoyable, interesting experience.

Persisting through one’s pennilessness and studying painstakingly for decades, only to be greatly accomplished when topping the scholarly charts in old age...now that was sadder, unquestionably.

Anyway, what Xu Tingsheng had obtained over the past three years, he could part with. Ultimately, above all else, he would navigate life such that he would not have any regrets.

……

This willingness of Xu Tingsheng to give things up seemed way over the top as he ceased to have the highest voice in Hucheng. In essence, it was like he was standing there, saying, “You want it? Here you go. No need to scheme and plot.”

In the eyes of ordinary people, this action simply did not make any sense. Therefore, Lu Zhixin had said that she could not comprehend it. She had meticulously engineered everything for no other reason than to inflict pain on Xu Tingsheng at the end of the day. It was best if that pain could jolt him to his senses, causing him to compromise as he realised what should be most important to him, what he should logically cherish.

What she ultimately wished for was not to wreck Xu Tingsheng’s life, but to drag him back over. She wanted to forge him in the image that she preferred, not letting all that talent go to waste. At the same time, she wanted him to belong to her.

Still, the outcome only left Lu Zhixin feeling lost and empty inside.

She would much rather Xu Tingsheng take up arms against her, for them to fight intensely using whatever methods. Even if she were the one who lost in the end, she would still be able to smile as she was forced to pack up and scram. Even that would be a hundred times more comfortable a scenario.

Lu Zhixin sat inside her own office with the share transfer document lying on the table.

Xu Tingsheng was in another office, packing up some belongings that he had to take away.

There was actually still a sort of synchrony and tacitness between them. Others would not know of this, and even they themselves might not really be certain of it, because they would ultimately not be candidly discussing this matter in its entirety.

Still, such a state of affairs did exist.

For one, that night, Lu Zhixin had drawn that ‘X’ to cancel out ‘The sufferings of prison, betrayed by all and separated from kin’ that she had linked over from ‘50 million’.

This was the most vicious killing move amongst all her schemes, and it was not that Lu Zhixin had insufficient time to carry it out, for Xu Tingsheng had long since fallen into that trap. Still, she had drawn that ‘X’, ultimately still being unwilling to destroy him, ultimately still bearing affection for him.

Next, after Xu Tingsheng had learnt of Lu Zhixin’s plan and guessed the gist of the methods she could potentially use, after he had remedied the situation to preserve himself, what he had decided was not to retaliate but to grant her wish with that unconditional share transfer document.

Based on the foundations of their feelings, their actions had been subtly in sync.

Yet, there still a sizeable lack of understanding as Xu Tingsheng ultimately could not understand Lu Zhixin’s fundamental motive and the feelings concealed amidst her actions. He even felt liberated somewhat due to Lu Zhixin’s choice, no longer needing to feel indebted to her.

There was just no way of denying that in this life, amongst all the girls that Xu Tingsheng had encountered, it was Lu Zhixin who had exerted the most effort and helped him the most. As for him, he owed her the most.

Xu Tingsheng packed a small cardboard box as he looked a bit like an employee who had been fired.

Looking at him, Tang Yufei asked, “I only heard a little outside her door that night and guessed a few things...how much were you able to guess, exactly?”

“Everything, perhaps,” Xu Tingsheng replied.

“Doesn’t this mean that you clearly knew that Zhixin was scheming to wrest away Hucheng and even threaten another business of yours and even then, your choice was to give her Hucheng?”

“She’s the one who’s been managing Hucheng in the first place. She’s been doing so for a very long time, almost since the very beginning. She’s done a lot for Hucheng and for me, exerted a great deal of effort. She deserves this, really. I don’t have enough time and energy for Hucheng too. So, handing it to her is the best choice.”

Xu Tingsheng spoke very calmly, choosing to omit some things in the process. For instance, Xu Tingsheng felt that Hucheng already necessarily needed to make a choice at this point in time. Should they develop in scale or expand into other domains? Objectively speaking, the former option was the appropriate course of action. With that, there was very little that Xu Tingsheng would be able to do.

“Is this a form of compensation? Even feelings can be compensated? Is it that with this, you’ll have your heart set at ease?” Tang Yufei asked.

Xu Tingsheng considered it for a moment before forcing a smile, “If you want to put it that way, yeah, something like that.”

Tang Yufei blurted out a vulgarity which Xu Tingsheng didn’t quite catch.

Then, he was stunned as…

“Do you lack women? I mean the kind that you can get on. A lover would be fine, even a tool...you can’t touch that young lady of yours, right? ...Don’t you want to? Your mother, I’ve realised that as long as I can make you feel indebted, my whole life’s basically smooth sailing.”

Tang Yufei was not simply joking here as she looked like she could really muster the determination to disregard all else. The person before her could not be judged by common logic anyway. Dressed in professional attire with short skirt, she removed her stockings, also removing the inner fabric within. Hands on the office table, she arched her waist…

“Give me some face, Xu Tingsheng. This sis has been enraptured by you.”

Xu Tingsheng said, “Your sister.”

Tang Yufei said, “My sister’s not as pretty as me. She’s more troublesome too. If you make an advance on her, she’ll probably be asking for female lead roles from you everyday...you aren’t as evil as to want both us sisters together, right?”

Xu Tingsheng: “...”

……

Xu Tingsheng exited the building.

Lu Zhixin signed the document.

In the year 2004, Lu Zhixin had consumed alcohol to the point of internal bleeding for the sake of getting a loan for Hucheng. Xu Tingsheng had stayed by her bedside till the early morning and proposed that he give her a portion of Hucheng’s shares. She had replied, “Add this as another debt that you owe me…”

In that same year, Lu Zhixin had presided over the situation in Zhang Xingke’s incident in suffering much grievances in school. Upon his return, Xu Tingsheng had thanked her. A near-identical reply: You owe me another one...

Afterwards, the incident with Apple and the confirmation checks...

Back then, someone had once asked Lu Zhixin, “What’s the point of accumulating so many debts of gratitude? It isn’t practical at all!”

At the time, Lu Zhixin had replied, “Maybe it would be useless with other people, but if it’s Xu Tingsheng, they’ll definitely be useful…”

At this point, she knew that all those debt coupons she had formerly held had just been spent in a single go.

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