Part Two: East Soil Big Sugar Chapter 217: Thunder and Forge

ly well-known. Her name is Liao Liao and she is an artist under Gu's East Yang Film and Television Company. Minister Liao's wife is a high-ranking official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with cons...The city's hospitals are also overflowing with patients. The tremors were also felt strongly here last night, and some less sturdy houses in the surrounding suburbs have been damaged, resulting in many injuries.

But Zhao Tingxing walked sideways here. With one phone call, the director came over with people to check on the old woman.

But, it's too late to change anything.

The old woman had lived a long life and passed away peacefully. She didn't suffer much and died with serenity.

Zhao Tingxing sat beside the old woman, in silence for a long time, not saying another word. All matters were taken care of by Han Li, who was busy running around.

Given Zhao Tingxing's character and way of doing things, he would definitely give the old woman a grand funeral. However, the current situation in the county is not suitable, so Han Li contacted the funeral home and planned to keep her there for a while.

They've arrived. Zhao Tingxing remains seated, perfectly still. His expression reveals little sorrow. He usually looks like this when he’s not speaking.

Until someone moved the old woman away, he only said: "Cremate her."

The sound was a mournful wail that came from deep within her chest, stifled to the point of agony. The old woman had lived a life of quietude all her years; there was no need for fanfare or commotion for her passing. Let her die in peace. She had thought she was doing her a favor by taking her out of the mountains, but now regretted it. If she had remained in that secluded mountaintop, tranquil and at ease, perhaps she could have lived a few more years.

The staff member looked at Han Li, Han Li nodded, and then did what he said.

He never glanced at Han Li from beginning to end, treating her as if she didn't exist. He even instructed the staff at the funeral home to prevent her from entering.

The moment the glass door closed, Zhao Tingxing suddenly turned back to glance at her outside the door. That one look sent a shiver down Han Li's spine from head to toe.

Without reason, she felt creepily terrifying.

After leaving the funeral home, Zhao Tingxing vanished without a trace. No one could get in touch with him, and no one knew where he had gone.

Zhang Ze tried to contact him several times but couldn't get through, so he had to reach out to Han Li. Han Li figured that he must have taken his grandmother back to the deep mountains for burial, returning to her roots.

Han Li asked Zhang Ze, "What's the matter with you looking for him"

Zhang Ze: "There was an earthquake in the county, and leaders from Liao's department and several military departments wanted to have the Senbing Group take the lead in donating funds and military supplies. This matter didn't require him to personally intervene, but Liao's meaning was that since he had just taken over the Senbing Group, it would be best for him to do so personally to increase his popularity."

Han Li understood. The implication was for him to contribute financially, but in the end, there was no guarantee who would benefit from it.

So she replied indifferently, "I know. Get in touch with him and he'll get back to you."

Zhang Ze didn't hang up the phone, hesitated for a moment, and then said: "Tell him to come to Beijing as soon as possible. Gu Ruandong has been quite active these past few days."

Although Zhang Ze has always wanted to escape Zhao Tingxing's control, they have always been tied together, at least for now, he doesn't want anything bad to happen to Zhao Tingxing.

"Hmm," Han Li hung up the phone, her heart heavy with worry. Unbeknownst to her, her mindset had undergone a complete transformation. Previously, she'd hoped Gu Ruandong would bring Zhao Tingxing down, desperate to prove that her return wasn't about his money. She yearned for him to rip up the contract just as he’d discarded her, a humiliating act of revenge. She wanted him to remember her deeply. Back then, there was love and a fierce sense of right and wrong in her feelings for him.

And now, all of this is meaningless.

After her passing, all she wished was for him to be happy, for him to simply live a good life.

At great risk, she drove back to the county and then along the crumbling country roads through the fissures of the towns all the way back up into the mountains. The journey was harrowing; many houses lay in skeletal ruins along the way, and landslides had reduced some stretches of road to mere threads that barely accommodated her vehicle.

She focused her mind, overcame her fear, drove into the village, parked, and then walked along a barely visible path overgrown with weeds. This path normally took half an hour to walk, but after being untouched for so long, it felt desolate and eerie. It took her a full hour to reach her destination.

However, the scene before her only cooled her heart by half. The old woman's small wooden house was unknown whether it was due to years of disrepair or destroyed in the earthquake. It collapsed entirely, with wood and rubble scattered in the yard, covered with rainwater, mud, and weeds. The collapse of a house, or the fall of a life, is the law of nature.

There was no sign of Zhao Tingxing, he didn't come back, not even the ashes of his grandmother. There's a small tombstone in the backyard, built by him for the she-wolf. His grandmother had said that when she passed, she wanted to be buried there too, but Zhao Tingxing never came back, where could he have gone

He's not the type to wallow and hide away when things get tough, but if Zhang Ze is to be believed, if Gu Ruandong makes a move, he should act accordingly.

This earthquake must have dealt a heavy blow to both Gu Ruandong and Dafang. The land Dafang purchased, the tourist area Gu Ruandong planned to develop, and the mining company Lu Kuo was in charge of—all destroyed in an instant. Rebuilding would be extremely difficult for the next few years. Who could have imagined when they designed Zhao Tingxing that he would inadvertently escape this catastrophe

So Han Li thought Gu Ruan Dong should be too busy to worry about Sen Bing Group at this time.

Gu Ruandong was indeed busy. Compared to Yao Yao's amnesia and not remembering him, he was more worried about her physical condition. The relevant examination equipment couldn't be transported over, and the local hospital's equipment was in a damaged building, temporarily prohibiting patients from entering. The military doctor could only make a preliminary judgment based on her mental state and some surface examinations. When her condition stabilized a bit, she would be sent back to the city for treatment or transferred back to Beijing.

Lu Yaoyao had been suffering from headaches and dizziness for two days after the infusion, but the symptoms had eased considerably. They were intermittent. From Lu Kuo, she also learned that she seemed to have amnesia and was not 18 years old anymore.

But Lu Kuo still dared not tell her that she was already married with children. He planned to say it slowly, afraid that she would be too shocked all at once. After all, she was now taking care of Ruan Dong and looked afraid, not daring for him to get close.

She tugged at Lu Kuo's sleeve and asked, "Is Grandpa still here"

This is her top concern right now. At 18 years old, her only reliance is her grandfather, who is her everything.

Lu Kuò was only then struck by the truth of her amnesia when she asked him that. Her eyes were so sincere, even a little anxious, as if she feared he would tell her that Grandpa was gone.

He glanced at Gu Ruandong, who was making a call outside the tent, and sighed, “Don’t worry, grandpa is doing fine.”

Lu Yaoyao's eyes turned red for a moment, "It's good that Grandpa is still alive."

Lu Kuo can't accompany her all the time.It didn't make sense to waste his time with her.He nodded, pointed at the ringing phone, and got up to answer it.The store manager came over with a stack of documents for her to sign, and whispered, "...