WBSGVS Chapter 46 V1

The Pei family has experienced bankruptcy, the betrayal of Pei Qi, and the death of Pei Rong in a car accident. By the time everyone regained their composure, the once-admired Pei family, who would always praise cars, had completely vanished from public view.

After Pei Rong’s death, Pei Mingjiang was still lying in the hospital, struggling to speak. The Pei family began to fall apart.

Pei Mingjiang’s brother took the lead, demanding an equal division of the family assets.

Pei Mingjiang was so enraged that he had to be sent back to the emergency room. Although Pei Xiyue was headstrong, he was still young, and the executives at the few remaining small companies were not willing to accept him. They preferred to have Pei Mingjiang’s brother or uncle manage them instead.

Under such pressure, Pei Xiyue didn’t want to provoke Pei Mingjiang any further and chose to compromise: “Let’s divide it.”

At this point, what was there to cling to?

As soon as he finished speaking, the previously quarrelsome crowd immediately relaxed, wearing amiable smiles as they praised him: “Xiyue is still the best!”

“Exactly…”

Pei Xiyue smiled sarcastically, feeling a sense of desolation within. What Fu Qingli said was true: the Pei family was a group of hypocritical trash.

Now, they didn’t even bother to pretend, exposing their true selves in their quest for the most profit.

The company was theirs, while Pei Xiyue could only lay claim to some real estate.

Once the family assets were divided, Pei Mingjiang was released from the emergency room.

Upon waking, he still wore an oxygen mask and found it even harder to speak. However, he first looked towards his grandson, his eyes revealing eagerness as he wanted to know how the Pei family was faring.

Pei Xiyue reassured him, “Everything is fine; I’ve managed to keep them in check. They’ve all gone home, nothing to worry about.”

Pei Mingjiang believed him, even though his grandson looked tired and emaciated. The truth was far from what he described, which showed that Pei Xiyue was lying. Yet, Pei Mingjiang still accepted it.

There was no choice; he couldn’t handle any more distress.

Pei Mingjiang finally revealed a faint smile, his eyes calming as they fell on his grandson’s thin jawline, a glimmer of regret shining in his eyes.

He was wrong.

Truly wrong.

He shouldn’t have selfishly assumed that Fu Qingli was his to give away. He shouldn’t have deliberately placed her on a pedestal to incite the Pei family’s disdain towards her. He shouldn’t have pretended not to see when she was being bullied, feeling secretly pleased instead.

Jealousy had lingered in his heart for forty years.

Though both he and she came from rural backgrounds, he went to university and became the one in the spotlight, while she worked tirelessly and still got deceived.

The girls they knew all preferred him because, in their eyes, Lin Hengzhi was elegant and outstanding, while he was unremarkable, like a stone by the roadside, commonplace.

It wasn’t until Fu Lan appeared and chose Lin Hengzhi as well that jealousy fully consumed him.

He chose to distance himself.

During that era, life was harsh, yet it was a time of rapid development in Huaguo, a land filled with opportunities. He set out for the South, using Lin Hengzhi’s guidance to begin building his business empire.

Starting with clothing, he later moved on to selling cars and eventually opened his factory.

Years later, he believed he had done quite well, only to encounter Lin Hengzhi again during an auction.

Lin Hengzhi’s star-studded appearance drew smiles from wealthy business owners, similar to his own in fortune, all eager to persuade him to sell a few of his patents.

This meeting was merely about a small patent Lin Hengzhi needed to sell to fund his research on better things.

At that time, Lin Hengzhi was alone.

Pei Mingjiang, filled with jealousy, made inquiries and discovered that Lin Hengzhi’s wife had divorced him because he had neglected his family for research.

At this point, he finally felt a flicker of joy at meeting an old classmate.

He was doing worse than Lin Hengzhi.

Thus, Pei Mingjiang kept a close eye on him, satisfying the hidden jealousy in his heart.

Years passed, and as the Pei family faced a bottleneck in development, he realized he needed technological advancement. Relying on others’ skills would never lead to true success; it would only serve to benefit others.

It was then that he recalled Lin Hengzhi once more.

He had heard that Lin Hengzhi had developed a technology for the country, and with some modification, it could be used by ordinary enterprises—if only he was willing to sell.

Pei Mingjiang, who had long resisted seeking help from Lin Hengzhi, chose to swallow his pride. He attempted to persuade him, but Lin Hengzhi kept refusing, stating he had no time for such modifications and wanted to focus on his upcoming research.

Finally, one day, Lin Hengzhi relented because he had found his granddaughter.

Among Pei Mingjiang’s few friends, he was the most suitable to take care of Lin Hengzhi’s granddaughter, as Pei Mingjiang had researched his family and found that while his son, daughter-in-law, and grandson were all outstanding, they had no daughter.

This deal was a windfall for Pei Mingjiang. From then on, Pei Motors soared, breaking free from dependency, and the Pei family officially established itself in the southern province, becoming a prominent family.

However, Pei Mingjiang was not content. In his moments of joy, he would repeatedly reflect on everything, feeling as though he was still relying on Lin Hengzhi’s generosity. How could he accept that?

But he couldn’t take revenge on Lin Hengzhi.

So he began to ignore Fu Qingli.

Every time he saw Fu Qingli being bullied, watching her retreat to her room in distress and secretly cry because of a glance from him, or seeing her admiring his grandson, Pei Mingjiang felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.

Look at that!

Lin Hengzhi, you’re impressive.

But you’re foolish!

Your granddaughter suffers, yet you remain blissfully unaware, content that you’ve chosen a good match for her, allowing yourself to focus on your research.

The only regret is that he couldn’t let Lin Hengzhi know the whole truth.

Before Fu Qingli turned rebellious, Pei Mingjiang was quite happy. Apart from the hidden worries in his heart, he had nothing else troubling him.

But now…

Pei Mingjiang lay helplessly in bed, struggling to breathe with the assistance of a ventilator. His heart seemed to be failing, and he felt pitiful, like a flounder. With the Pei family gone, he knew he would regret it even more.

He had once been so joyful; now he was filled with regret.

Why cling to this?

He remembered hearing about two sophomore students from a national defense university who had developed semiconductor materials for use in electronic communications, significantly reducing the costs of electronic products. This was widely reported in the news, encouraging university students to conduct more research.

One of those students was Fu Qingli.

Not to mention that she had also partnered with others to develop a patent that looked impressive on her resume.

If he had treated Fu Qingli well, this child, whose talent was on par with Lin Hengzhi’s, could have been utilized for the benefit of the Pei family. It would have been like Lin Hengzhi gifting a brilliant future to the Pei family!

But he had lived too comfortably for too long, losing sight of the future, becoming self-righteous, and ultimately ruining the Pei family!

Pei Mingjiang thought he had reached the depths of hell; in the ICU, he felt like a corpse, watched over by others, while his grandson worked tirelessly for any remaining hope.

Until one day, his grandson appeared, guilt written all over his face, saying, “I’m sorry, Grandpa, I don’t have any money left…”

The cost of staying in the ICU was several tens of thousands a day. Pei Mingjiang’s condition was dire, having undergone multiple surgeries. With a body on the verge of death, the efforts to save him were enormous. With no company left, he had sold off all his assets, and even then, Pei Xiyue couldn’t hold on any longer.

Pei Mingjiang incredulously grabbed his hand, his once delicate fingers now rough. He didn’t have the strength to question it; he struggled to utter a few words: “No, you’re lying to me!”

The oxygen mask was shrouded in white mist, obscuring his face, but Pei Mingjiang’s fear of death was palpable.