Chapter 1071: Tachycardia

Ye Changyuan’s funeral was held with great solemnity, with Tan Xinmin, a civil affairs official, personally presiding over the memorial service, giving high praise and recognition to Ye Changyuan’s life.

Elder Ye did not go to the funeral home to attend his son’s funeral; Xu Changshan stayed with him at the Ye Family.

Elder Ye sighed: “Changshan, my brother, you’ve had a hard time these past few days.”

Xu Changshan said: “There’s no need for formalities between us.”

Elder Ye nodded and said: “Yes, we are family, so let’s not speak as outsiders. Don’t worry about me; I’ve already come to terms with it.”

Xu Changshan said: “Everything has a process. I have an idea, if you’re willing, you can go stay in Dongzhou for a while. I don’t have much going on and can keep you company, play chess, and chat.”

Elder Ye said: “Alright.”

Seeing him agree, Xu Changshan felt relieved. This period must be extremely tormenting for Elder Ye. Staying at home would inevitably remind him of his son. A change of environment might help him recover from the grief of losing his beloved son sooner.

Elder Ye said: “These days I’ve often thought about whether I should’ve been more selfish. If only I hadn’t held such high expectations for my children, perhaps this wouldn’t have happened.”

Xu Changshan said: “Which parent doesn’t hope their children succeed? I’m the same. I have a son and two daughters, but none have stayed by my side. If there’s regret, I certainly have it. But I often think, as long as they are happy, that’s all that matters. I didn’t raise them to repay me. At our age, separation is just a matter of sooner or later. I can’t change fate. What I can do is cherish the people around me in the days I have left and help where I can. Even if I can’t help, I wouldn’t create trouble for them.”

Elder Ye said: “Changshan, you live more transparently than I do.”

Xu Changshan said: “It’s not transparency but just my capacity.”

Elder Ye said: “Yes, cherish the people around us.”

Ye Qingya watched as her father was buried, crying uncontrollably, with her mother Lin Sijin and aunt Feng Mingjun comforting her from either side.

Xu Chunliang accompanied Ye Changquan, whose emotions were relatively stable. He whispered to Xu Chunliang: “Chunliang, please help me host the gratitude banquet later.”

Official figures mostly wouldn’t attend the gratitude banquet; it was mostly close friends and family left.

Xu Chunliang nodded.

Ye Changquan felt deeply comforted; he had seen Xu Chunliang’s performance these past few days. Not only did Xu Chunliang carry his brother’s body out of the disaster area, but he also personally managed all the hosting and vigil in the funeral parlor these days as this godson.

Initially, Ye Changquan’s impression of Xu Chunliang was only as the doctor treating his father. Later, when he heard his father had recognized Xu Chunliang as a god-grandson, he thought it was perhaps due to gratitude and reciprocation. Through this funeral, Ye Changquan has thoroughly accepted this nephew.

Feng Mingjun also didn’t plan to attend the gratitude banquet; she accompanied Lin Sijin to bring Ye Qingya back first.

Nonetheless, the gratitude banquet still had over twenty tables, most of whom were not bureaucrats.

The banquet was arranged at the Star Hotel, and Hua Zhuyue had planned everything well in advance. Xu Chunliang, busy these days, inevitably overlooked some details.

Arriving at the Star Hotel, Hua Zhuyue told Xu Chunliang that He Dong Group’s Pan Tianhua and his son had come. They had heard about the funeral today and attended the memorial service. Xu Chunliang saw them at the venue but didn’t have a chance to greet them.

Xu Chunliang nodded, first going to the room where the Pan family father and son were to say hello,

Pan Tianhua, seeing Xu Chunliang enter, immediately stood up and greeted: “Director Xu.”

Xu Chunliang warmly shook hands with him: “President Pan, it’s been hectic today. Apologies for any oversight.”

Pan Tianhua said: “I only heard about it today and couldn’t assist with anything. If Director Xu ever needs anything, just say the word.”

Pan Tianhua owed Xu Chunliang a great favor, so upon hearing about Ye Changyuan’s death, he immediately brought his son to attend the memorial, not to curry favor with the Ye Family but entirely out of respect for Xu Chunliang. This shows Pan Tianhua’s strong sense of duty in the community.

Xu Chunliang nodded and said: “Of course.” His gaze shifted to the awkward Pan Weidong beside Pan Tianhua.

Pan Weidong had conflicts with Xu Chunliang in the past and suffered losses under Xu Chunliang. Due to his sister’s matters, he no longer resented Xu Chunliang, but still felt embarrassed. If not for his father’s insistence, he would certainly not have appeared today.

Xu Chunliang proactively extended his hand to Pan Weidong: “Young Master Pan, thank you.”

Pan Weidong quickly extended both hands to shake with Xu Chunliang, bowing slightly, appearing very humble. Many around recognized Pan Weidong and his father but were not familiar with Xu Chunliang. Seeing the Pan family showing such courtesy to Xu Chunliang, they realized Ye Changyuan’s godson was quite extraordinary.

Xu Chunliang made a point to greet the Pan family father and son not only as a courtesy but also for an important reason: to ease tensions and help Hua Zhuyue stabilize the internal situation of the Orchid Sect. It now seems the Orchid Sect’s crisis has been largely resolved.

Qiao Rulong represented the Qiao Family at the gratitude banquet. At his table sat Wang Jiancheng and several offspring from prominent families. Qiao Rulong also saw the Pan family but felt uneasy; he had been in a difficult position lately, which he hadn’t disclosed to Qi Shuang. His grandfather had ordered him to distinguish himself from the Pan family, so despite meeting the Pan family father and son in passing, they didn’t exchange greetings.

Wang Jiancheng noticed Qiao Rulong seemed distracted, clinking glasses with him. Ever since his heart transplant surgery, Qiao Rulong abstained from alcohol, always using tea instead, regardless of the occasion.

Wang Jiancheng said, “Brother Long, I heard you’re leaving Hua Tou?”

Qiao Rulong frowned slightly, feeling a bit wary. He had just submitted his resignation to Hua Tou in the past couple of days and didn’t expect the news to reach Wang Jiancheng so quickly.

“Who told you that?”

Wang Jiancheng laughed, “It’s already known outside.”

Qiao Rulong said, “I’ve been in business for many years and have gotten used to a carefree lifestyle; I can no longer adapt to the structure of internal work.”

Wang Jiancheng said, “That’s fine, Brother Long. Returning to the business world to start afresh will surely lead to success.”

Qiao Rulong shook his head and said, “It’s because of my health. My current physical condition can’t handle too heavy a workload.”

Wang Jiancheng said, “I don’t see any problems with your health, Brother Long.”

A fair-skinned man nearby said, “President Qiao, I heard you’ve had a heart transplant. Judging by your complexion, the surgery was quite successful.”

Qiao Rulong was somewhat displeased. This man was truly rude, mentioning his privacy in front of so many people. Qiao Rulong most feared others bringing up this issue, and he did not even glance at the man directly.

The man seemed oblivious to Qiao Rulong’s displeasure and continued with a playful grin, “President Qiao, my elder brother also has a heart condition. He’s currently considering a heart transplant surgery. Everything is set, but I’ve heard that many people experience rejection post-surgery and require a large dosage of medication for maintenance. Is that true?”

Qiao Rulong coldly replied, “I’m not a doctor. You should consult a specialist about such issues.”

The man said, “An old patient becomes a skillful doctor; your experience is the most convincing.”

Qiao Rulong could no longer bear it. Who was this person, with no sense of boundaries? Couldn’t he see that he was already angry? Deciding not to stay there any longer, he stood up and said, “I have things to attend to. Please enjoy yourselves.”

The man said, “President Qiao, don’t be in such a hurry to leave. I have one more question. Have you ever experienced an abnormally fast heartbeat post-surgery?”

Qiao Rulong walked out without looking back, cursing internally. What a person! He planned to investigate who this was and make him pay for his rudeness today.

Wang Jiancheng followed Qiao Rulong out, “Brother Long, why did you leave?”

Qiao Rulong said, “I have an urgent matter to address. Who was that person just now?”

Wang Jiancheng shook his head, indicating he didn’t know. Since Qiao Rulong was determined to leave, he didn’t insist and turned back inside.

Qiao Rulong took a few steps forward, suddenly hearing a strange sound—thump!

Looking around, he couldn’t identify the source of the sound and took a few more steps—thump! Thump!

He heard the sound again, and as he did, his heart beat twice in sync with it.

The thumping sounds continued repeatedly.

Qiao Rulong’s heart started beating to the rhythm of the sound. He felt his heart racing faster, pounding against his chest wall, sending wave after wave of pain through him.

At this moment, as Pan Tianhua was returning from the restroom, he passed by Qiao Rulong. Pretending not to know him, as he brushed past, Qiao Rulong suddenly grabbed his arm, trembling, “Help me…”

Pan Tianhua then noticed Qiao Rulong’s unusually pallid face and asked with concern, “What’s wrong with you?”

Qiao Rulong clutched his chest, “My… my chest hurts so much…” His heart was racing madly, as if it would burst out from his chest.

The incessant thumping sound echoed in his ears, his heart manipulated by the sound to beat faster.

Collapsing while clutching his chest, Pan Tianhua hurried to support him, shouting, “Somebody, help! Somebody, help!”

Xu Chunliang, who had been toasting, was alarmed by the cries. By the time he arrived at the scene, many people had already gathered.

Xu Chunliang reached out to check Qiao Rulong’s pulse, feeling the heartbeat pounding like a drum, accelerating rapidly. At that moment, the heart rate was likely over two hundred.

Qiao Rulong’s face was ashen, trembling, “It’s ringing in my ears… constantly ringing… like someone is gripping my heart…”

Xu Chunliang was taken aback. Although he had no feelings for Qiao Rulong, today he could not let him die at the Ye Family’s appreciation banquet.

Using his fingers, he applied pressure on the spot behind Qiao Rulong’s ears, at the intersection of one-third between the upper and middle earlobes, pressing down at the point between the Jiaosun and Yifeng acupoints.