"It's so infuriating." Song Wen clenched his fist.

Tang Yumeng put down the chopsticks in her hand and said, "Let's go, we can't eat this meal anymore."

"Yeah, let's go. We had enough laughs today." Xiao Xue, pulling a few sisters, said, "Let's take the chance during lunch break to quickly go shopping."

"Agreed." The others responded in unison.

Tang Yumeng turned her head to glance at Lin Chuan and asked, "What about you? Do you have plans for lunch?"

"Nope." Lin Chuan shook his head.

"If you've got nothing, then come out and walk with me." Tang Yumeng smiled.

"Sure." Lin Chuan nodded, saying, "I just worry about people getting the wrong idea."

"I'm not scared, what are you scared of?" Tang Yumeng glared at Lin Chuan.

Lin Chuan smiled awkwardly and did not say anything else. Subsequently, the two of them walked outside. Not far from the City Committee was Jiangbei City's People's Square. The square was quite close to a park, and during noon, with the bright sunshine, it cast a warm feeling that dispelled the chill of the early winter.

When Tang Yumeng left the house, she wore a long burgundy wool coat that enhanced her noble temperament, and her long legs in a pair of over-the-knee boots made her figure even more statuesque and fashionable. Bathed in the sunlight, however, Tang Yumeng's heart was shrouded in darkness.

The two walked in silence along the way.

They continued until they reached the park, where there were quite a number of people, with many elderly basking in the sun on park benches, enjoying these precious moments of good times. Most of these senior citizens had lived through the era of wars and famines, but fortunately, heaven had bestowed upon them a peaceful and prosperous age in their twilight years.

"Sister, you... didn't come here because something's bothering you, right?" Lin Chuan asked curiously.

"Nothing's wrong, just wanted to go for a walk," Tang Yumeng smiled and said, "I haven't been out to enjoy the sun for a long time. So I wanted to come out and bask in the sun."

"That's nice," Lin Chuan smiled and said, "Get some sun, kill some germs."

Tang Yumeng found a chair and sat down. Lin Chuan sat close to Tang Yumeng. The two leaned back on the chairs, with Tang Yumeng looking up at the clear blue sky, her eyes betraying a touch of sadness and despair.

"Sometimes, I really want to leave this world," Tang Yumeng said with sorrow, "I always feel that it was supposed to be me who should've gone."

Lin Chuan became anxious, could this be a sign of terminal psychological withdrawal? He hurriedly said, "Sister, you can't think like that. If you left, many people would be heartbroken over you."

"But I can't find any reason to keep living," Tang Yumeng said with a bitter smile, "It's better to die than to live like a walking corpse."

Lin Chuan became even more anxious. He glanced around quickly and immediately pulled Tang Yumeng to her feet.

"What are you doing?" Tang Yumeng asked urgently.

"Come with me," Lin Chuan said hurriedly.

Tang Yumeng could only follow Lin Chuan, walking towards a nearby place. Lin Chuan held Tang Yumeng's hand, and she allowed him to pull her along, hand in hand. Tang Yumeng felt shy inside and wanted to break free, but she did not, feeling a slight conflict within her heart.

However, what Tang Yumeng did not expect was that Lin Chuan didn't take her far and instead ran straight to the group of old men and women. He pulled Tang Yumeng down to sit among the elderly who were chatting.

"Old man, how old are you?" Lin Chuan asked with curiosity.

"I'm eighty-three now," one of the old men opened his eyes and looked at Lin Chuan with a puzzled face.

Upon hearing that, Lin Chuan thought there might be a chance and smiled hastily, "Old man, this is my girlfriend, she has a great admiration for revolutionary predecessors, and she wants to hear some tragic stories from the wartime and the ***** period, as a way to pay tribute to the revolutionary martyrs."

"Wartime?" Hearing this, the old man gave a bitter smile and said, "Young man, you both were born at the right time, to be able to live in such a peaceful, such a prosperous era. I was born at the beginning of last century. When I grew up, I encountered the Nationalist Party conscripting the able-bodied. All three of my brothers were taken by the Nationalist Party to become soldiers. In the end, they all died on the battlefield. Once New China was liberated, people became the masters of our country, but then we were hit by the ************. By goodness, my mother starved to death. Later on, we encountered the Gang of Four, and entered China's ten-year dark period..."

"Same here," an old lady next to him spoke with a smile, "In our family of three siblings, the oldest was taken by the Nationalist Party to be a soldier, and Old Two joined the New Fourth Army. The brothers even met on the battlefield..."

As these old men and women started talking about that era, it was undoubtedly a dark, tragic time—a time that people could never forget.

Tang Yumeng, upon hearing them, instantly felt that her own suffering was nothing compared to theirs.

Tang Yumeng looked at them in surprise and asked, "So... don't you feel the pain?"

"Pain, of course it's painful," the eighty-three-year-old elder nods and says, "But we still have to live through the pain. In life, one encounters countless setbacks, both big and small. Yet compared to life and death, they're all trivial. Child, there are only two major events in life: the first is birth, the second is death. Birth is the beginning of life, death is the end of it. Only by facing it calmly, when you grow old, will you find that all the storms you've experienced in your lifetime really aren't much at all."

"So losing loved ones doesn't count as a major event?" Tang Yumeng asks doubtfully.

"Child, life is just like a play," the elder laughs, "On this stage, there's always someone going on and others coming off. No one is the permanent protagonist. Everyone has their own destiny, and their departure might just be fated. Isn't that so?"

"Fated?" Tang Yumeng mutters to herself, "Could it really be... fated?"

"Child, some things are not what you imagine them to be," the elder looks at Tang Yumeng and says, "All three of my brothers died on the battlefield, and they did so serving Old Jiang for the Nationalist Party. As a result, when the New Fourth Army was ****, my parents were implicated; they were paraded through the streets. And me? Because of an unclear background, I failed the political review when I applied to join the party. When it comes down to it, is there anyone more unlucky than me?"

Lin Chuan laughs, "Elderly sir, what you said is true. Life is like a play, and a play is like life; take it lightly, and that's all there is to it. Really, even life and death aren't such big deals. Every day in this world, there are so many new lives being born, and just as many passing away. Right?"

"Young man, you've got a grasp on it," the elder chuckles heartily, "Having lived over eighty years, I've lived a worthwhile life, and even if I kick the bucket suddenly one day, I'll be chuckling all the way to the afterlife."

Tang Yumeng lowers her head; she seems to understand something, yet she's still shrouded in confusion.

"Elder, we need to get going. We've been chatting for a while," Lin Chuan, having spent over half an hour with Tang Yumeng, is ready to leave the place.

Tang Yumeng lets Lin Chuan pull her along as the two do some aimless wandering in the park.

"Lin Chuan, do you think the same way?" Tang Yumeng asks curiously.

"Think what?" Lin Chuan stops in his tracks and lights a cigarette.

"About life being like a play," Tang Yumeng says with a puzzled look as she stares at Lin Chuan.

"Indeed," Lin Chuan nods and says, "I know you don't quite believe it in your heart, but once you get used to seeing life and death, it seems insignificant."

Pfft...

Tang Yumeng suddenly covers her mouth, laughing and says, "You make it sound as if you're an enlightened monk who's seen it all, accustomed to life and death. Where did you see it? In the birthing room? At the crematorium?"

"Haha..." Lin Chuan laughs heartily.

"However, what you said does make some sense," Tang Yumeng nods and says, "It seems I really should forget some things."

"Mhm," Lin Chuan nods and says, "Work hard, and you'll definitely be able to forget those things."

After briefly consoling Tang Yumeng, the two return to the City Committee. Tang Yumeng has a meeting to attend that afternoon, so Lin Chuan can leave with peace of mind. Meetings at the City Committee usually last over two hours, with lengthy speeches by the leaders, followed by discussion. It's expected that the entire afternoon will be spent this way.

As they near the City Committee, Tang Yumeng suddenly stops walking.

"Why stop?" Lin Chuan turns to look at Tang Yumeng.

"Lin Chuan, thank you for today," Tang Yumeng smiles at Lin Chuan.

"Silly girl, no need to thank me," Lin Chuan says with a beaming smile, flashing eight neat and white teeth.

Tang Yumeng's face turns slightly red as she retorts, "Who allowed you to call me that? I'm your elder sister."

"Yes, yes, elder sister," Lin Chuan chuckles.

"That's more like it," Tang Yumeng snorts lightly, then turns and walks into the City Committee building.

The smoking security guards at the door quickly extinguish their cigarettes and stand up straight, looking very alert. Little do they know that Tang Yumeng has already seen their hurried actions. What puzzles her, though, is why other people smoking seems so irritating to her, while she never minds Lin Chuan smoking?

Furthermore, when Lin Chuan called her 'silly girl' earlier, she didn't feel much resistance in her heart; instead, it felt rather warm. Tang Yumeng even begins to wonder why she has such strange feelings. What could be the cause of these feelings?

Lin Chuan stands at the entrance, watching Tang Yumeng's charming figure enter the City Committee building before turning to leave the City Committee.

Lin Chuan's mind is still preoccupied with money matters; if he doesn't come up with 110,000 yuan, it could be difficult to face the consequences. In any case, he's also promised to help Nuo Xiaoxi. Moreover, Nuo Xiaoxi not only trusted him but also agreed to go back to school to strive for a good university in next year's college entrance examination.

With Nuo Xiaoxi's exams approaching, failing to assist her now might ruin her life.

"Chuan, not working again today?" Zhou Kai, wearing a pair of white knitted gloves stained with black oil, holds a wrench and laughs, "Bro, you really live a carefree life."

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