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墨書 Inktalez
The memorial service for Tian Rui was held at the Longchuan City funeral home, and the atmosphere was quite somber. Tian Rui came from a poor family; both of his parents had passed away, leaving him with only a grandmother in her seventies to rely on. After graduating from high school, Tian Rui enlisted in the military. He was an ambitious and hardworking young man who believed that he could achieve great things in the army. However, the place he thought would help him realize his dreams ended up crushing them instead. During his time in the military, he performed exceptionally well, but due to financial difficulties at home, he could not afford joint surgeries and ultimately faced the fate of an honorable discharge.
Upon returning to Longchuan, Tian Rui struggled to find suitable employment due to his lack of higher education. He could only find work as a security guard, but the meager salary was insufficient to support his household. Moreover, with his grandmother's poor health and Tian Rui's generous nature towards friends and comrades, they lived a tight life in a slum area of West District for many years. Eventually, a childhood friend introduced him to a job at Three Tiger Hall as a security guard. However, the security guards there were essentially enforcers, and the pay was relatively better. To secure this higher salary, Tian Rui worked diligently and showcased his exceptional skills and military training during several operations. Soon after, he was promoted to Supervisor of the security department.
Later, Xin Yi disbanded Three Tiger Hall and established Three Tiger Group. Naturally, Tian Rui was reassigned by Huang Mang to Beng Hu Lian. Qin Dali and Zhong Kai recognized Tian Rui's impressive skills and military background and assigned him to gather intelligence on their biggest rival, Josen. Tian Rui excelled in intelligence gathering; all information regarding Josen was collected through him, providing crucial support for many operations by Beng Hu Lian. However, unexpectedly, he lost his young life at the hands of the Vulture Mercenary Corps.
The memorial service was organized by Xin Yi at Qin Dali's request, but only a few of Tian Rui's friends and comrades were involved in the arrangements. Qin Dali, Zhong Kai, and the childhood friend who introduced Tian Rui to Three Tiger Hall were at Tian Rui's home in the West District slum area. Tian Rui's grandmother suffered from lung disease; even slight movements left her breathless. When she saw guests entering her home, she hurriedly got up to boil water. Qin Dali stepped forward to take the kettle from her hands and said, "Grandma, please don't be polite; we are all colleagues of Tian Rui. We can handle it ourselves; you should sit down and rest." As he poured hot water, he continued chatting with her, "Grandma, for your condition, you can add a bit of honey when drinking water; it helps moisten and nourish your lungs. Do we have any honey at home?"
"I know honey helps with lung health," Grandma replied while catching her breath. "But Tian Rui's salary isn't high; I still want to save some money for him to marry a wife. At my age, I don't know how much longer I have left; there's no need to waste such expensive things. By the way, why isn't Tian Rui back with you?"
"Oh, we came today to share some good news," Zhong Kai interjected quickly as he noticed Qin Dali's hand tremble slightly while pouring water after hearing Grandma's question. He wanted to prevent Qin Dali from losing control of his emotions: "Tian Rui has been outstanding at work and has been assigned by the company to study abroad. The company leaders considered that it might be inconvenient for you to be alone at home, so they arranged an employee dormitory for him and hired a caregiver specifically for you. We are here today to take you over."
"Ah? Tian Rui went abroad? This child! How could he not come back to tell Grandma about such a big thing? I haven't seen him around lately; I thought he was just busy with work," Grandma said with relief. "Well then! Our Tian Rui is doing well!"
"Yes! Tian Rui has performed exceptionally well at the company; he works hard and always leads by example during overtime. He was chosen for this rare opportunity to study abroad! When he returns, he will be promoted directly to department manager—his future is bright! This is all thanks to your good upbringing!" Zhong Kai added.
"Indeed! This is all due to the education from our country and military; of course, it also relates to the company's training," Grandma said proudly. "By the way, how long will Tian Rui be abroad? I miss him so much."
At that moment, Qin Dali suddenly said, "Grandma, you two keep chatting; I'm going out to buy some honey. Pimonkey, please show me the way." Without waiting for a response, he hurriedly left.
"Hey! No need for that!" Grandma called after him anxiously. But Qin Dali had already gone outside; Pimonkey quickly stood up to follow him out as well. Zhong Kai reassured her: "Grandma, don't worry about him; he's now Tian Rui's boss. You raised such an excellent person; it's only right for him to show respect."
"Ah? He's still Tian Rui's boss? That makes it even less appropriate! How can a boss buy things for their subordinate? That's not right! You should call him back!" Grandma became anxious; typically subordinates give gifts to their bosses—what if this creates problems for Tian Rui later on?
"Grandma, don't worry about him. If it weren't for an outstanding employee like Tian Rui, how could this leader handle things so easily? So this is only right. Hehe, just consider this as your grandson showing respect to you," Zhong Kai comforted.
In the alley outside, Pimonkey caught up with Qin Dali, only to find Qin Dali squatting in a corner with red eyes, smoking heavily. He said, "Brother Qin, weren't we supposed to buy honey? Let's go." Pimonkey was Tian Rui's childhood friend, but he didn't have the ability to enter Beng Hu Lian and was still working at a KTV under the Three Tiger Group. He was unaware of Qin Dali's identity and could only address him as Brother Qin according to street customs.
Qin Dali remained silent and pulled out some cash from his pocket, handing it to Pimonkey. "Go buy a can of honey for Grandma and also get some nutritional supplements. Hurry back; I'll wait for you here."
Pimonkey looked at Qin Dali suspiciously, thinking how could this burly northern man be so sentimental? His childhood friend had passed away, yet he wasn't as heartbroken as Qin Dali, who had known Tian Rui for only half a year. It was strange; could it be that he was truly indifferent by nature? Pimonkey couldn't figure it out and shook his head as he left the alley.
Aside from a brother named Ye Lei sent by Beng Hu Lian to oversee the arrangements, the rest were Tian Rui's friends and comrades. They sat in the funeral home sighing deeply. Although the expenses were covered by the Three Tiger Group and the arrangements were quite grand, what was the point of such a spectacle when no one came to pay their respects? Was this display meant for just themselves? Remembering Tian Rui's generosity and openness in life made them feel a wave of sorrow. No matter how much Tian Rui had done for Three Tiger Hall, it all ended in such a tragic conclusion. One of them, a big guy named Chen Haiqiang who was Tian Rui's comrade and had a fiery temper, stood up after smoking several cigarettes and turned to walk outside. Ye Lei hurriedly asked, "Haiqiang, where are you going?"
"Where else can I go? I want to ask the Three Tiger Group if Tian Rui's life is so worthless that it ends like this? Not even one person showed up! Tian Rui sacrificed his life for the Three Tiger Group; now that he's dead and has no more use, is that it? Once a person is gone, everything turns cold?" Chen Haiqiang became increasingly agitated, his voice rising until he was practically shouting.
"Chen Haiqiang! How can you say that?! The Three Tiger Group is not what you imagine; every brother there is not what you think. They might not have come yet because they have other matters to attend to. In any case, the Three Tiger Group will definitely give Tian Rui the best explanation!" Ye Lei was also getting angry. He believed that the brothers of Beng Hu Lian and the Three Tiger Group would not let their brother leave quietly without an explanation; Chen Haiqiang's words were an insult to all the brothers of Beng Hu Lian and the Three Tiger Group.
"Hmph! An explanation? Where is it? Does paying respects take too much time? I see this as just your excuse! You guys from the Three Tiger Group are simply tearing down bridges after crossing them!" Chen Haiqiang retorted.
"You... Chen Haiqiang, you're slandering! The brothers of the Three Tiger Group are all men of integrity! Only someone like you would have such vile thoughts!"
"What?! Ye Lei, do you dare call me vile?! Today I will teach you a lesson for Tian Rui!" Chen Haiqiang shouted as he charged forward, ready to fight. He had military training and some real Kung Fu skills, but Ye Lei was no pushover either; anyone chosen for Beng Hu Lian had decent skills. After months of rigorous training, taking on someone like Chen Haiqiang would be easy for him. However, although Ye Lei was furious, he didn't want to fight at his brother's wake; that would be ridiculous. So he said, "Chen Haiqiang, I won't fight you now. If you really want to settle this later after Tian Rui's matters are resolved, I'll be there."
"Damn! What excuse are you making? Are you scared? Let me tell you; today I will still teach you a lesson for Tian Rui!" Chen Haibin yelled as he swung a punch at Ye Lei's face.
Ye Lei had anticipated Chen Haibin's move. As soon as he saw the punch coming, he reacted swiftly and grabbed his wrist angrily. "Chen Haibin! Don't push your luck! This is Tian Rui's wake; don't cause trouble here! Otherwise, I don't care who you are; I'll throw you out right now!"
Chen Haibin pulled his hand twice without success, suddenly flying a kick towards Ye Lei's abdomen. Ye Lei grabbed his wrist and pulled him back, causing Chen Haibin to lose his balance and nearly fall face-first to the ground. However, Ye Lei quickly placed a hand on his chest to steady him. Despite being thwarted twice, Chen Haibin did not stop; instead, he became even more frantic. He suddenly reached out with his left hand to wrap around Ye Lei's neck, intending to bring him down to the ground as well.
"Stop!" At that moment, a furious shout came from the entrance, the powerful voice causing the air in the hall to tremble slightly.
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