Chapter 17.2 – Three Years Later (Part 2)
Novel Title: 一屋暗灯 (Ephemeral Light)
Author：麦香鸡呢 (McChicken)
Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)
Protagonists: 宋谨 (Song Jin -MC), 宋星阑 (Song Xinglan -ML)
*Please read at Novels Space.space, the original site of translation. TQ*
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This day is the fifth anniversary of He Hao’s first dessert shop opening. So he invited Tang Min and Song Jin out for a meal.
Song Jin lives in a village near the foot of the mountain. Although the transportation is convenient, it is far from the city centre. It takes some time to get there. If He Hao hadn’t sent a car to pick him up, he might not have gone out at all.
For Song Jin, he just wants to live his life peacefully, working, reading, and studying. He has a cat named Grapefruit, which was brought home by a family in the village and is now six months old and already weighs nearly ten kilograms. It’s very clingy.
“Song Jin, you seem to be ageing prematurely,” He Hao said as he ate. “You used to be quiet. But now you’re even quieter. Have you been isolated from the world for too long?”
“Don’t think of the countryside as so backward,” Song Jin laughed. “Their villas are more beautifully built than in the city, with spacious land and good air. It’s much more comfortable.”
“Really? Is there still land available in your village? I’ll buy a piece and build a house for retirement.”
“You can go and investigate,” Song Jin said.
“But with development progressing so rapidly now, maybe by then your area will be requisitioned,” He Hao suddenly lowered his voice. “The recent case of that senior official being investigated, wasn’t it because of these kinds of things?”
“It seems he was reported by colleagues within the system,” Tang Min said. “They said he had personal shares in a private company. It all got exposed, even implicating several top executives.”
He Hao took a sip of wine. “Who knows? These things are so deep. They call it a report. But it’s really about eliminating dissidents. But I heard two CEOs ran away. They slipped out of the country before the incident. Their noses are really keen.”
Song Jin: “What are you talking about?”
Tang Min looked at him somewhat awkwardly. “Your house still has the internet. So how do you not know anything?”
Song Jin shook his head. “I don’t usually watch the news. And I don’t chat much with people in the village. I really don’t know.”
“It’s okay. It doesn’t concern us anyway. Just listen,” He Hao reassured him. “You just focus on being a villager. Who knows, if the village gets redeveloped, you might become rich.”
“It’s not safe,” Tang Min said seriously. “One of those CEOs who escaped is in real estate. There were fatalities from a forced demolition incident before. And now it’s all coming back. He’ll probably have to hide for the rest of his life.”
“Did you hear that, my Jin?” He Hao looked at Song Jin seriously. “If your home is ever going to be demolished, cooperate more. Saving your life is the priority, understand?”
Song Jin chuckled at his remark. “What’s gotten into you?”
After lunch, Song Jin went to the bookstore to buy some books to read. As he was flipping through books at the bookshelf, he heard someone calling out, “Yuan Laoshi, you’re here too!”
Song Jin turned his head and saw Yuan Ya. She was greeted by one of her students.
Not having seen each other for over two years, Yuan Ya seemed to have lost even more weight. As she turned her head, Song Jin was almost surprised. The gentle and graceful teacher had shown signs of weariness over the past two years, looking nothing like before.
After exchanging greetings with her student, Yuan Ya turned around and happened to see Song Jin looking at her.
***
“It’s been so long. You look good,” Yuan Ya slowly stirred her coffee in the café, smiling slightly. “Is everything going well with your work?”
“I don’t have a formal job. I was just doing some freelance work from home and preparing for postgraduate exams,” Song Jin said.
“Really?” Yuan Ya was surprised for a moment. She then smiled again. “That’s great. What are you thinking of applying for?”
“I’m still considering, maybe computer science or art and design.”
Yuan Ya nodded, sipping her coffee without saying anything.
After a pause, Song Jin asked, “Is everything okay at home?”
Yuan Ya was startled. She then looked up, seemingly incredulous. She asked Song Jin, “You don’t know?”
“Know what?” Song Jin asked blankly.
“Your father… he escaped abroad. Two or three months ago. And we’ve completely lost contact,” Yuan Ya said.
Song Jin set down his cup. He was stunned. “How could this…”
“One of those CEOs who escaped is in real estate. There were fatalities from a forced demolition incident before. And now it’s all coming back. He’ll probably have to hide for the rest of his life.”
During lunch, Tang Min’s words suddenly flashed through Song Jin’s mind. He widened his eyes in disbelief. “Is it because of that official who was arrested?”
“I’m not sure,” Yuan Ya shook her head. “Over these past two years, there have been many unexpected incidents within the company. Several subsidiary companies have closed down. And the status of the industries under their name is very poor. Such a large company, the financial chain has broken several times. I have no idea what your father did behind the scenes. The night he escaped, I woke up to find no one by my side. The safe in the study was completely empty. After a while, the house was sealed.”
Song Jin opened his mouth but couldn’t speak.
The collapse of a skyscraper overnight… His father is now a fugitive.
Song Jin only now realised how cleanly he had cut ties with the Song family over the past few years, only finding out about such a significant matter now.
He gripped the cup. His fingertips unconsciously tightened. “Then… what about Song Xinglan?”
“Xinglan, well… After he went to Toronto for over a year, he basically took over the company there. There was even a dispute with your father over the shares. Later, he completely separated that subsidiary from the main company. He even poached several employees from the company headquarters, saying he hired them to manage the company. After all, he was still studying. I heard last year that he was preparing for an IPO. All this I heard from your father. So I’m not sure how he’s doing now.”
Song Jin didn’t know whether to say that Song Xinglan had foresight or that he was heartless because he was the same. He had desperately wanted to sever ties with the Song family. But for him, it was because of the incestuous relationship three years ago. While for Song Xinglan, it was about being self-sufficient.
Perhaps Song Xinglan had long understood that he would never become the young master under Song Xiangping’s wing, so he obediently went to Toronto to study. Because there was a subsidiary of Song Xiangping there, Song Xinglan’s goal should have been to decisively obtain the property and resources that could serve as a foundation. He then severed all ties with Song Xiangping, whether familial or financial.
His brother was truly as calm and cold as ever. He was like a wolf, openly displaying his ambitions and decisively tearing into his prey and flesh.
“What about you and my father…”
“We haven’t divorced yet. The company is still in the liquidation stage. If there are any debts afterwards…” Yuan Ya sighed slowly. “Actually, I don’t know what to do either.”
No wonder Yuan Ya looked so worn out. Now Song Jin felt that the Song family might be a curse. anyone involved with it would not have a good ending.
His mother, and now Yuan Ya, had not experienced much happiness in this family. Yet they had to bear the heaviest consequences.
The selfish father. The indifferent brother. And the ineffectual self—all share the same cursed bloodline.
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*Author’s Note: For those readers who may have missed the synopsis, here’s another warning: Song Xinglan will become an idiot, very suddenly and with a big contrast in personality. Afterwards, there will be a period of mundane rural life. -McChicken
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*Translator’s Note: Finally, the author started to say something☝🏻. And whooopps! SJ’s friends were gossiping about his own father hahahaha. SXP just left his wife like that to carry all the debts for him. He’s very selfish! I think SXL intentionally wanted to ruin his father’s business hahahaha! -K
*GLOSSARY:
- Laoshi – Teacher
- IPO – When a private company first sells shares of stock to the public, this process is known as an initial public offering (IPO). In essence, an IPO means that a company’s ownership is transitioning from private ownership to public ownership.
Next update: -Daily-
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