The final chapter rushes towards eternal immortality

senior high school student could help Lin Guozhou achieve status domestically and defeat Liu Cheng, this boy must have started doing so today or something like that.For geniuses to be guided rather t...Last Chapter Charge Towards Eternal Immortality (Part 2)

Last Chapter: Charge Towards Eternal Immortality (Part 2)

(There are too many words, so I have to split this chapter into two parts! Damn it.)

The grand villa that was almost fully illuminated stood on slightly elevated terrain, with its lights shining until the air currents stirred, the black clouds dispersed, and dawn arrived, with golden rays touching the edges of floating clouds.

Lin Luoran had already woken up. In fact, she hadn't slept well at all last night, but today was a day that she must spend as meticulously as a precision mechanical clock.

Firstly, she needed to wake up at 5:40 AM and have time to dress and wash up. At exactly 6:00 AM, the best makeup artist in all of Beijing would arrive within one minute to style her hair and makeup. She must complete this process within an hour. At the same time, far away in another luxurious residence in Beijing, a convoy including Cadillac limousines, Lincoln stretch cars, Audi vehicles, and luxury sports cars such as Ferraris, Porsches, Bentleys, Jaguars, and Maseratis would be meticulously preparing for the wedding procession. Each vehicle belonged to families of high-ranking political figures or business tycoons attending the event. The entire preparation process took about thirty minutes. Then Wei Yuanhu, dressed neatly, would board the wedding car once all the accompanying vehicles were in place. Following this, the convoy manager would instruct the cars to proceed through Beijing's city streets in an orderly manner, arriving at Lin Luoran's sister’s residence precisely at 8:30 AM before heading to the wedding venue.

The makeup team's Land Rover stopped, and photographers and makeup artists pressed the doorbell of the villa. After exchanging greetings with the house owner and friends, they ascended to the upper floor.

Lin Luoran wore a white dress that fell just below her knees, adorned with a purple ribbon at her waist, not an overly extravagant wedding gown like a blooming flower. This was her wedding attire—simple yet elegant. Sitting in front of the large dressing mirror, she watched as light makeup enhanced her skin and touched up her face lightly. Then, the tied band was loosened, releasing her long hair that cascaded down before being arranged into an elaborate hairstyle by her stylist.

She was blooming her breathtaking beauty for another man.

Accompanying her was Ye Huishang, but looking at her now, Ye Huishang couldn't muster any joy in her eyes. With a slightly dejected tone, she asked, "This is for your entire life; have you really thought it through"

The makeup team ignored the beautiful woman's words and continued perfecting their work.

Suddenly, Lin Luoran stood up, opened the door of her private dressing room, and ran out. Descending the stairs, relatives and friends stared at her as she rushed down.

Lin Mu, holding a cup of tea, glanced over and said, "Oh, are you done already So quickly"

Before she could finish speaking, Lin Luoran in her wedding dress ran out with high heels, followed by Ye Huishang. To the confused people in the hall, Ye Huishang gestured, "I'll explain later."

Immediately, she followed after them and saw that Lin Luoran had taken the keys to her Audi TT and opened the door. As Ye Huishang arrived, she exclaimed, "Can you drive like this Get in my car." She then sat inside, checking her watch and saying, "We have fifty minutes."

Lin Luoran's heart raced as they sped out of the area in a well-performing sports car. After passing through several junctions and encountering two traffic jams, the familiar alleyways she cherished appeared before her eyes.

This was where her childhood had been, now home to someone who lived there.

Su Can and others were still contacting Wang Weiwei and others in the quadrangle courtyard when they saw a white Audi car abruptly stop outside. Even the elderly woman sweeping early morning had looked up at the commotion caused by the girl running out.

She appeared at the entrance of the quadrangle courtyard, her dress as white as snow, her elegance like moonlight reflecting on a cold river.

"So cool, Old Lin. Shouldn't you be waiting for your wedding convoy at home" Liu Rui, who was munching on a steamed bun he bought from a corner shop, widened his eyes in surprise.

As Schreiber Yang chewed and stared with wide eyes, he suddenly stopped moving.

Tang Wu then pulled the two of them inside the house.

Su Can looked at Lin Luoran and saw her pure white appearance that was almost blinding.

"In fact, I really hate you, Su Cen. I truly wish to kick you more often and bite you hard every day," Lin Luoran's face was still red from the intense running exercise she had just done, but she didn't care about that now. She remembered what the fat man said before he died, so she knew what she should do at this moment. After a pause, her eyes filled with tears, "But I can’t control myself and come to see you."

"So I think I have fallen in love with you."

Su Cen stopped; the magnificent sunrise over Beijing seemed unreal now. But his expression was dark as if sunlight couldn't reach it.

The two of them remained silent for a long while, each waiting their turn to speak.

Ye Huishang’s phone kept ringing; she hung up and then picked up again, watching the two of them hold their phones tightly. She looked at Lin Luoran's suddenly weak back and was worriedly anxious as she exclaimed, "Their convoy is taking a detour towards here, we don't have much time!"

Seeing Su Cen’s painful expression, Lin Luoran knew they could never be together.

The girl took one step back and wiped away her stubborn tears, not letting them spill over. She turned around and left, getting into Ye Huishang's car with an open mouth as she cried uncontrollably.

The white Audi TT moved off, encountering the luxury car convoy that had taken a detour to rush here at a busy intersection, causing traffic in the area to be blocked.

Lin Luoran got out of the Audi TT and was then put into the current black sedan. The convoy started again, clearing up the traffic.

In the bus heading towards the hotel, a classmate from No. 27 Middle School asked Wang Weiwei, "I heard that the wedding will take place in the Imperial Ancestral Temple"

Wang Weiwei shook his head and said, "The Imperial Ancestral Temple is an ancient imperial burial ground; although it has been opened to the public now, how can it be used as a wedding venue The location for the wedding is Wangfu Hotel."

The second-floor banquet hall of the Wangfu Hotel located in the heart of Beijing’s Wangfujing area and adjacent to the Forbidden City was chosen as the wedding site. This grand banquet hall could accommodate four hundred people.

The most impressive feature was the two large entrance doors made of peach wood with golden door handles upon entering the banquet hall.

Su Cen shook hands with so many people here as if he were a living corpse, even being forced to take commemorative photos. He also met the upper echelons from both Lin and Wang families: Mr. Lin Ronghuan's face was still handsome but carried some weariness; however, he showed Su Cen an unusually warm smile. There was also Mrs. Lin Zhouwu inquiring about Su Cen’s recent circumstances. Then there was Guo Ying with a strange look on his face who sighed when looking at Su Cen secretly. Many members of the Lin family looked at Su Cen with what seemed to be regretful expressions, and Wang Weiwei's father, Wang Bo, along with Wang Huidong, Wang Haiping and others were also present. Su Cen remembered that they all said a lot to him, but he didn't listen to any of it. He only heard an executive vice-governor say that he wanted to build a science and technology industry base and invited Facebook Chinese Edition to guide the process; Su Cen wasn’t sure if he agreed or not.

Many people in the distance were watching him, Wang Weiwei explained that they all seemed to be from the Wei family side. Because of this marriage alliance between Lin and Wei families, many important figures in Beijing would attend the wedding.

The final person was Lin Luoran’s father, the man with a beard full of masculinity, Mr. Lin Guozhou who found Su Cen, pulled him to one side, took out a cigarette and offered it to Su Cen; Su Cen didn’t smoke, so he lit it himself and inhaled deeply before speaking in a deep voice, "Lin Zhouwu told us long ago about Luoran's relationship with you. If today standing on the stage are you and my daughter, I wouldn't say a single word. In fact, Luoran’s aunts, uncles, relatives, and friends will respect her choice for her happiness; but now things have already come to this point."

"Of course, I don’t mean that Wei Yuanhu is not good; in fact, he's very outstanding in all aspects of his character. And I believe he’ll be very nice to Luoran," Lin Guozhou took another deep drag from the cigarette and seemed lost in thought as he added, "Actually, when back at Uncle Wang’s place, seeing how quiet and gentle Luoran was opening a beer can for you, my mind wandered to thinking if her mother would have liked seeing that side of her daughter."

"I even imagined one day after working hard all my life and retiring, staying home, whether I’d see the same scene with my granddaughter—her opening beers for me and us drinking together. And I’ll often take my grandson to Beidaihe to pursue my photography hobby while watching him grow up, worrying about his kindergarten placement, picking him up from school every day, wondering whether he will attend Fuhu Academy or Experimental School... this is getting too far off the subject." Lin Guozhou extinguished his cigarette stub in the luxurious ashtray of the banquet hall before patting Su Cen's shoulder with a voice that was full of magnetism and said, "But life can't just stay like it was at first sight. Cherish what you have now; don't lose it."

He then turned his back to Su Cen and waved goodbye in the usual cool manner before returning to his seat.

Su Cen stood still, his heart sinking as if a blood-red sunset was falling with the music of the banquet hall.

At that moment, he saw Wei Yuanhu walking over from the entrance. He had some words with someone accompanying him before they walked away, leaving Wei alone to head straight towards Su Cen. The two stood facing each other for a long time,

Wei Yuanhu finally spoke up, slightly raising his corner of his mouth and said naturally, "Ultimately, I still won."

No matter whether waiting for the dawn, when magnificent sunset spits out its last breath at dusk, night will eventually fall.

The wedding eventually proceeded.

A magnificent and grand melody descended upon the ballroom. With the sound of firecrackers, paper confetti fluttered down. Lin Luoran and Wei Yuanhu stepped onto the stage in rhythm to the music, facing everyone in the room. Applause erupted warmly.

Lin Luoran saw Su Can stand up and leave the venue.

The last focus of her gaze was lost.

Li Pengyu, Wang Weiwei, Xue Yiyang, Liu Rui, and others who knew him all turned ashen-faced upon seeing this scene.

Outside the ballroom, Su Can leaned against the nearby wall. He took three deep breaths in and out. He noticed that many of the waiters outside were staring at him in surprise. They seemed to think of something, glanced at the delicate and beautiful girl inside the ballroom, then cast a look of sympathy towards him.

Su Can looked straight ahead; he felt as if he saw Lin Zhouwu turning his back on him sadly all those years ago, disappearing from his life forever. He heard again that voice speaking to him intimately when they were in Rongcheng.

Then this sound faded away. In its place came the melodious yet solemn tones of the master of ceremonies inside the ballroom.

It was as if a sudden enlightenment struck him.

He had always believed he was walking his own path and holding onto something important, but now he realized how wrong he had been.

Lives can’t just be about initial encounters. They must be cherished because of that very reason; they cannot afford to lose each other.

The well-trained waiters around him were astounded to see this man who seemed to have suffered the greatest blow to his life re-entering the ballroom’s main door.

At this moment, snow-covered mountains stood still. All the lights in the hall could not match the blinding whiteness of this instant.

Everyone turned their heads ninety degrees to look at the man standing by the entrance.

Su Can began walking forward with a momentum like a tank charging, compelling everyone in the room to watch him move towards the stage.

The so-called fate is something that must be held in one’s own hands.

Therefore, he had no choice but to advance. He needed to cross this distance and grasp what was essential to him—people, things, eternal moments. These were chances that once missed might never return for the rest of his life; these moments could still be eternally remembered even when time had passed.

"He wouldn’t…" Wang Weiwei slowly stood up while maintaining a ninety-degree turn.

“Su Can and Lin Luoran,” Xue Yiyang and Liu Rui, staring at the man who marched back in without hesitation, could only mutter these words, dumbfounded by his actions.

The master of ceremonies continued his speech; however, his voice faded as he turned his head. Wei Yuanhu was still processing what had happened, as were many others stunned by this domineering presence.

Whether they were shocked or angry, whether it would create a huge impact—none of that mattered.

In truth, these were trivial compared to what Su Can needed to do. What he was holding onto now was crucial; as vital as life itself.

He crossed the distance and grabbed Lin Luoran's icy hand with such force that even she was stunned like a visitor from another planet. One could imagine how dazzling this man, who merely wanted to protect what mattered most, must have been under the frozen gaze of all present.

Su Cen didn't say any more useless words, instead he held tightly onto Lin Luoran who was almost in tears and turned to run down the stands. He walked along that red carpet and came to the third last table where Tang Wu sat, holding her hand tightly with his left hand. Her hand was warm, so warm it felt like it would never let go.

So he held onto Tang Wu with his left hand, while pulling the girl in white beside him with his right. Under the bright lights, they walked faster and faster until finally they were running out of the ballroom迫不及待地奔跑出了宴會大廳。

In the end, Su Cen still thought meticulously to close the two magnificent peach wood doors that stood more than two people tall at the entrance of the ballroom. He grabbed onto the door handles and shut them with a creak.

All those brothers and friends who had grown up together, all those relatives and friends, aunts and uncles, all those political heavyweights, business elites, celebrities from various fields. All these people inside the ballroom, whether they were part of the crowd or suddenly flooding out, would be enclosed behind this door with the sound of it closing.

This was everyone's last memory at that moment.

Many stories happened after that year.

The fifth session of the People's Congress in Huang City was held in the Huang City People's Congress Hall, where they passed a resolution to promote Su Licheng to mayor of Huang City once he had been officially cleared of all charges since Zhou Zhaofeng’s removal from office.

In his inaugural speech, Su Licheng wiped away his tears and addressed everyone emotionally, "I was born elsewhere but worked in Huang City where I grew up and achieved success. As a beneficiary of development, I thank the industrious, intelligent, generous, and enterprising people of Huang City for their transmission and promotion of ancient benevolent culture so beautifully and boldly. Without the hardworking and kindhearted people of Huang City, without their dedication and perseverance, I would not have the opportunity to contribute my every effort to make Huang City more beautiful with clearer skies and cleaner energy companies under the leadership of the city committee."

His speech was met with prolonged applause.

The same year, Phoenix Investment Holdings acquired 95% equity in Phoenix Industry Co., Ltd. in Huang City through a foreign merger worth $382 million, completing its overseas shell formation process. In September, a venture capital firm named Big Papaya Investment Limited invested $5 million into the company and in February of the following year, Phoenix Company successfully listed on Hong Kong's main board with an IPO raising HK$700 million. Phoenix Industry Group subsequently integrated several coal mines, washing plants, coking chemical factories across Sichuan and Guizhou provinces to become the largest private enterprise in Southwest China's coke industry, driving the integration of local coal-based petrochemical enterprises and serving as a leading influence. This was quite an extraordinary feat.

Its chairman Wu Jianhe and general manager Li Jinsheng were also referred to by outsiders as two "Black Gold Princes" rising in the western region.

The same year, World of Warcraft, with over 3.5 million paying players, launched an epic weapon for its second season arena mode called “Cruel Gladiators' Phoenix Crossbow,” featuring a description: "Made according to Lin Zhouwu's specifications."

No one knew who Lin Zhouwu was, but this didn't stop the excitement of gamers wiping down their weapons and using them to slay enemies and countless dragons.

Su Cen couldn't grant Lin Zhouwu a GM account, but his request was carried out by millions of players afterward. Only those young faces that once burned with passion in internet cafes had disappeared; the gaming era for both StarCraft and World of Warcraft belonged to them, now eternally concluded in this way.

Following Pineapple Media's establishment as a domestic financial magazine authority, Shangmai Music received additional investments, becoming China's leading digital music company with its accumulated copyright resources. They signed numerous artists. Occasionally turning on the TV, one might see Zhao Hao delivering impassioned critiques on some talent show.

Many people were speculating about every move of Lin Luoran, Tang Wu, and Su Cen. Only their closest friends could access their Facebook pages where there were many photos: walking in Tokyo during cherry blossom season, sitting in cafes along the Champs-lysées in Paris, on the beaches of Maldives before its sinking, and beautiful wooden villas; a Labrador named "Cen Brother" they had adopted, the Louvre and the inverted pyramid from The Da Vinci Code, as well as vast blue skies and clouds, prayer wheels and Sakya Monastery in Tibet where Tang Wu was kneeling devoutly praying while Su Cen was busy photographing the grand murals of the double cultivation on the second floor. A photo with Lin Luoran's hand entering into the frame; she must have been hit on her head. There were also family gatherings, dinner tables laden with home-cooked dishes as if they could be served at any moment.

At alumni reunions, people would talk about them and mention that they seemed to have been seen in Sanya, Hainan Province, passing by without being recognized due to the vagueness of their faces.

Some said they got married somewhere abroad; many people were skeptical.

In summary, every year they would travel around the world and return home at uncertain times. Only those closest to them knew what was happening with them.

Su Cen occasionally missed some of the lost people in his life, such as Xiao Yunyun, Chen Lingshan, Lin Zhouwu, Sun Man, and Song Zhen who had gone to America after the fall of the High System Empire and never returned to China.

At times on an old fisherman's boat by the Huang City dam lake with waves rising and falling, Su Cen could dig out those old photos to flip through them. He seemed to see these vivid people repeatedly浮現在他麵前。

Lifetime meetings should be filled with infinite beauty.

(Thus concludes The Great Metamorphosis)

A deep bow to you all! Thank you for your words "This is the best rebirth."dent, and even then, it’s just a guest role. If you want me to be one, please leave this room, and remember to close the door behind you." Su Chen couldn’t help but laugh at Wang Dongjian’s absurdity....