At this point, Ye Huan fell silent. He looked at me, his gaze complex... In that instant, I seemed to see so much in Ye Huan's eyes... There was regret, helplessness, and a hint of remorse...
"Xiao Wu, I'm sorry."
"..." I thought I misheard, but looking at Ye Huan, the words "I'm sorry" clearly came from his mouth. Hearing Ye Huan say those three words to me personally... I don't know why, it was as if all the hatred that had accumulated in my heart, all the resentment that had gathered over the years, suddenly found an outlet...
"Xiao Wu, I'm sorry." Ye Huan looked at me with a serious expression. "This apology is from your brother Huan. But... if I were to go through this again, I would still do the same thing that I feel sorry for you. Because, fundamentally, I believe that what I did was necessary! That's how the world is; sometimes you know it's wrong, but you still have to do what you have to do!"
I am sorry, but I did not do anything wrong.
These are the answers Huan Ge gave me! These are the answers I've had in my heart for so many years!
No, no… I shook my head, realizing I was getting a little dizzy. I couldn't help but mentally call him "Brother Huan" again, ugh…
I tried my best to keep a straight face and said coldly, "Is this all you called me here to say?"
Ye Huan looked at me, but he didn't answer me. Instead, he suddenly whispered, "Xiao Wu, I've lost, lost completely... You want my life? I'll give it to you. I owe you, and I'll repay you... But, in these final moments, can you call me 'Brother Huan' one last time?"
Upon hearing those words, it felt as if something had suddenly blocked my throat!
Part Three: The Pinnacle, Chapter 136: Brother Huan (Part Two)
Looking at the aged man before me, I suddenly realized with a deep, bitter resentment that the hatred in my heart was far less intense than I had imagined… Instead, it was a sense of heartache that I couldn't let go of…
The name "Huan Ge" circled in my throat several times, but I just couldn't bring myself to say it.
I have a gun in my pocket, and I can shoot him dead anytime I want!
But... the man in front of me is... Ye Huan!
It was Ye Huan, the one who pulled me up from the bottom of society!
It was Ye Huan who gave me a job when I was at my poorest! It was Ye Huan who valued me when I was young and naive! It was Ye Huan who treated me like a younger brother, even a son! It was the man who gently taught me! It was Huan-ge who once made me box with him, only to knock me down with one punch! It was the man who single-handedly turned me from a waiter into "Little Fifth Brother"!
My hands were in my pants pockets, gripping the gun handle tightly, but my fingers were already trembling, as if this small pistol weighed a ton!
This man nurtured me, promoted me, and valued me... He even personally created the initial "Little Fifth Brother," and he witnessed my early growth. He gave me opportunities, warmth, and care!
And in the end, he raised a knife against me...
"Sigh, you still don't want to shout?" Ye Huan's eyes clearly showed disappointment, then he shook his head with a wry smile: "Fine. I can only hope for that."
He suddenly stood up from the water, tied a towel around his waist, and slowly stepped out of the bath. He glanced at me, his expression calming down: "Xiao Wu, you can kill me now... but before you kill me, could you let me finish this last bath?"
I didn't move. I just looked at him.
Ye Huan walked past me and slowly reached the wooden bench beside me. I noticed his steps seemed a little unsteady. Then, he slowly and laboriously lay down, rolled over, and lay face down on the bench. He glanced at me gently and said, "Could you come over and scrub my back? Xiao Wu?"
I was stunned! In that instant, my whole body shuddered violently!
"Xiao Wu, come here. Give me a back rub!" These words...
Yes, so many times, when Ye Huan and I took a bath together, he liked me to scrub his back. Because I've practiced martial arts since I was young, my hands are strong, and I even know a little about acupressure. We used to be like brothers, or like father and son, soaking in the bathhouse.
Ye Huan looked up at me. He didn't speak, but a hint of something... a clear plea, even... a pleas, appeared in his eyes!
My heart finally softened. I took my hand out of my pocket and slowly walked over, rolling up my sleeves as I went.
I took a towel from the shelf next to me and wet it. Then I put it on Ye Huan's back and gently patted his back with both hands.
These were the movements I used to do often. Now that I haven't done them for many years, I was a little rusty at first, but after a while... I felt a strange sensation in my heart.
The people are still the same people, the actions are still the same actions... but the feelings are not the same as before!
With a soft sigh, seemingly tinged with a sense of contentment, Ye Huan suddenly whispered, "Xiao Wu...am I getting old?"
Hmm... this question again...
If it were back then, I would definitely laugh and reply, "No, Huan-ge, you're still pretty good! Last time we boxed, you knocked me down with one punch." Then, Huan-ge would laugh a few times and accuse me of deliberately holding back, etc...
But now, I gritted my teeth and didn't say anything.
Ye Huan didn't get a reply from me. He chuckled to himself and said in a low voice, "Jinhe and Cangyu both say that I've aged incredibly fast in the past three years. My hair has started to fall out and turn white, my waistline has become loose, and I've developed a belly. Now, when I'm boxing, I can't even last one round before I start panting. Sigh... Everyone eventually has to go through this."
I remained silent, but the movements of my hands involuntarily slowed down.
Ye Huan seemed oblivious to my slow movements, and continued, head bowed, "Actually... after you left back then, I regretted it a lot... Xiao Wu, I'm sorry. But in that situation back then, if you didn't die, I would die. Even Duo Duo, Jin He, and Cang Yu would have died with you! Under those circumstances, no matter how much I liked you or valued you, all I could do was apologize to you. After you left, I was also very sad... Jin He... sigh, Jin He... I know that when Jin He was in Guangzhou, he let you go once. When he came back to see me that time, I didn't punish him. Xiao Wu... you..."
He suddenly struggled to lift his head and looked at me: "You, you really won't call me 'Brother Huan' again?"
I remained expressionless and silent. But I knew that my eyes had likely betrayed my true feelings.
Ye Huan looked at me carefully for a long time before he sighed and said, "Never mind, in the end, it's my fault for letting you down."
After a moment of silence, Ye Huan's tone suddenly turned cold: "Duo Duo is still here. Are you planning to kill her too?"
"...I will keep her alive and send her abroad." I said calmly, "Don't worry, I saved Duoduo's life back then, I won't let her die."
Ye Huan's body trembled slightly: "...Thank you."
He struggled for a moment, then sat up abruptly, glancing at me. "Alright, Chen Yang! With your words, I have no regrets... Sigh, I originally planned to entrust Duoduo to Luo Lie. That kid is a lot like you back then, but he's still quite a bit inferior to you. You know, Duoduo, she... she really likes you..."
"No need to say that," I shook my head.
"..." Ye Huan looked at me, then nodded: "Yeah, there's really no need to say anything. Death is the end of everything. What else is there to hold onto! Hmph, I'm just getting old, that's why I think about these things."
Then, a strange smile appeared on Ye Huan's face: "You were the one who attacked me first, not Qing Hong. You two made a deal, didn't you?"
I didn't say anything.
"Very well, come on. Come on all of you! Let's see what I, Ye Huan, have left for these guys! Haha!" A hint of smugness and pride flashed in Ye Huan's eyes: "Let them go and rob it!"
He sat up straight and looked at me: "Chen Yang! I need to ask you for a favor!"
I said dismissively, "Do you think I'd still do anything for you?"
"Yes! You definitely will!" Ye Huan said with certainty, "No one knows you better than me. This is about Duoduo! I know I'm doomed, so I've prepared a way out for her! Hmph, I've already emptied out the entire Jiangsu territory! Twenty-six clubs, eighteen private clubs, four hotels, and six casinos in various places. All the funds have been drained! Land, houses—I sold what I could, and mortgaged what I could to the bank! Haha! When those guys come running, they'll find they've got nothing! Nothing at all!!"
I didn't show any emotion. Based on my previous analysis with Yang Wei, Ye Huan was indeed capable of doing such a thing. So I wasn't surprised.
"All the money has been transferred by me, Chen Yang. It's a total of 160 million US dollars! That's enough for Duo Duo to live a life of comfort and security! Chen Yang! Can you help me take care of Duo Duo? After I die, the Qing Hong gang will definitely track down this money! Although I've taken precautions, I'm worried that Duo Duo, a girl, still won't be able to survive... Hmph, even Luo Lie and his gang, I don't dare to completely trust them! I... the only person I can trust is you!"
I shook my head.
Ye Huan's expression immediately changed: "You...you won't agree?"
Looking at Ye Huan, I suddenly felt that he was really pitiful.
“Ye Huan… do you think that after you’ve taken all the money, even if you die, Qing Hong will let Duo Duo go? They will do everything in their power to find out where the money is! Will they give up? Leaving this money to Duo Duo will only cost her her life.” I shook my head and said, “Hand over this money, and Duo Duo… I will take care of her for the rest of her life. I have money, and I will never let her lack money.”
Ye Huan smiled: "Okay!"
His quick reply left me somewhat puzzled.
Ye Huan then lay down: "Chen Yang... do you know? I actually expected this day to come. I've been preparing ever since you returned to the country and things were exposed!"
"Actually, since you knew all along, why didn't you leave? You already had a lot of money. It would have been better for you to take the money and leave with Duoduo than to rebel against Qinghong and inevitably fail in the end." I asked the question that had been on my mind all along.
"Leave?" A glint of light suddenly flashed in Ye Huan's eyes! He seemed to instantly transform from a weak, aged man back into the old Huan Ge! He shouted, "Why should I leave! Back then, I, Ye Huan, went south with only a thousand dollars to make my way in the world! I survived countless near-death experiences, blood and flesh flying everywhere, what haven't I seen and experienced! What haven't I witnessed! I earned what I am today with every sword and spear! Leave? Am I supposed to spend the rest of my life hiding like a rat? Waking up every day worrying whether the Qinghong people will find me? Living in constant fear? What a joke!!"
I sighed.
Just as I expected!
"I've had enough in this life! I've enjoyed myself, I've had my moment of glory! For a man to have a life like mine is worthwhile, it's enough! Since they want me dead, why would I run? Hmph, if I can't have this territory, then nobody else can have it properly! Even knowing I'll lose in the end, I'll still have my moment of glory!" After saying this, Ye Huan suddenly coughed violently...
"Cough cough cough..." Then he suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood!
I was shocked. I saw blood gushing from Ye Huan's mouth and nose, and then she vigorously wiped away the blood foam. I exclaimed, "You..."
Ye Huan looked up with a slight smile: "Kid, I told you, I'll pay you back what I owe you!"
A thought flashed through my mind, and I immediately asked, "That bottle of wine?"
I strode to the pool, picked up the bottle of red wine, and sniffed it: "Did you poison yourself?"
Ye Huan gave a bitter laugh, slumped to the ground, coughing as he laughed, "Yes! Thirty minutes! Thirty minutes is enough! And I'm soaking in water, the hot water promotes blood circulation, the poison dissipates faster... Hahahahahaha!"
He suddenly struggled and stumbled towards me, then snatched the bottle from my hand, tilted his head back and gulped it down, then laughed loudly: "Drinking one glass or drinking a whole bottle, I'll die anyway! Before I die, I want to take a nice bath and leave this world clean! I want to talk to you alone, without any regrets! I want to have some good wine with me... Hahaha, that's enough for me!"
After saying that, he threw the bottle down with a crash, scattering glass everywhere. Ye Huan walked barefoot across the shards, the broken glass piercing his soles and drawing blood, but he didn't care. He strode into the bathtub, sat down beside it, and laughed loudly, "I have no regrets! I've had enough in this life!"
I stood to the side, watching blood flow from Ye Huan's mouth, staining the bathwater, my heart pounding. Ye Huan turned to look at me, forcefully grabbing my clothes: "Xiao Wu... money... money, all the money is..." He gasped for breath, then quickly rattled off two strings of numbers, chuckling softly, "This is the account number, the password... I've left all of this for you... so I can see it from down there... I know those guys from Qing Hong will definitely fight over this... Hahahahahahaha"
I stared blankly at the man spitting blood from his mouth.
"Xiao Wu..." Ye Huan's tone changed, suddenly filled with pleading: "I...I'm about to die, are you really not willing to call me Huan-ge one more time?"
"..." I stared at him, just stared at him, watching the bright red blood from his nose and mouth. I took a deep breath, looking into his sorrowful eyes...
Is it heartbreaking?
Yes.
Does it hurt your heart?
Yes!
Did your heart soften?
...Right?
The light in Ye Huan's eyes gradually faded, and he finally breathed his last, his body slowly sliding down the edge of the bathtub.
I took a step forward, lifted him out of the pool, and felt the weight of his body…
I placed Ye Huan's body on the bench next to me, letting him lie on his back, looking at his eyes that were still open before he died.
I raised my hand and gently stroked his eyelids, whispering, "I will take care of your daughter, you can rest assured down there... In the next life, let's never meet again... Huan-ge!"
In the end, I still called out the name "Brother Huan," but only after he died!
Part Three: The Pinnacle, Chapter 137 - The Grand Finale
"He...is dead."
When I walked out of the bathroom, only Yang Wei was waiting outside. I looked at Yang Wei, and for some reason, only those three words came out. Then, I felt something welling up in my eyes, and my cheek felt cool.
Are they tears?
Will I... still shed tears for Ye Huan?