Jiang Shu’s phone had rung several times before he suddenly received an urgent call from Qi Ding.
As soon as he answered, Qi Ding cursed: “Where the hell are you?! Where is everyone?!”
“What’s going on—”
“Chi Ji is in resuscitation—Forget everything and come to the Third Hospital, his pupils are already dilating, hurry the fuck up!!!”
Jiang Shu thought he had heard wrong, and when he spoke again, he could hardly hold the phone: “Chi Ji? Little Chi?”
Qi Ding didn’t have time to explain, pulling people outside the resuscitation room, pleading loudly: “Nurse, please, save him, he’s only just turned twenty-three—He’s still so young—”
Jiang Shu managed to stand up from the corner, walking unsteadily.
Huo Ren, having finished his makeup, came over, saying: “Uncle? Want a glass of water?”
“Quick, to the Third Hospital, something happened to Chi Chi.”
The next three hours were completely out of control.
Everyone from the company was trying to control what could only be described as a riot of journalists, the area in front of the resuscitation room was crowded with people crying and pleading, the electric current for cardiac resuscitation was turned up to the highest point—
When Pei Ruye also arrived at the scene, Huo Ren was standing motionless outside the isolation door, blankly shedding tears looking inside.
Seeing Pei Ruye also there, he appeared helpless like a child about to lose a family member.
“Teacher, there’s still hope for Chi Chi, right?”
“Do you know any good doctors, Teacher? Let’s hire more doctors, more…”
Pei Ruye didn’t say a word, just hugged him tightly, letting him struggle and collapse into sobbing in his arms.
When Jiang Shu arrived at the door of the resuscitation room, he could no longer stand, stumbling to the ground, and even after being helped up, he was unable to speak.
Feng Yi’s manager, Old Xu, arrived first, supporting him the entire afternoon.
After Feng Yi’s suicide, it took Old Xu four to five months to recover. Now, sitting next to Jiang Shu, both old men were in tears.
“It’s not your fault.” Old Xu patted his shoulder firmly, his voice rough: “Nobody wanted this.”
Jiang Shu sat stiffly on the iron chair, finally shaking his head slowly after a long while.
“…It’s my fault.”
In the end, the surgery light turned off, and the doctor finally took off his mask and came down.
“I’m sorry, we did everything we could.”
No one could accept this fact.
Yesterday, even a few hours ago, Chi Ji, who was alive and laughing, had vanished.
Upon hearing these words, Huo Ren could no longer control his emotions, his heart clenched in pain, barely able to breathe, only gasping sharply when he tried to speak.
Pei Ruye was the first to restrain him in his arms, signaling the other executives who came to help to calm down the other members.
This incident didn’t give anyone time to accept or adjust, yet, Jiang Shu still staggered up to arrange for his child’s funeral home and crystal coffin.
Upon opening his mouth, he found himself in tears, sitting beside the coffin, repeatedly touching the glass, wanting to touch his face once more.
Huo Ren could no longer think.
The moment he heard the news of his best friend’s death, his insides were pulled and mashed into unrecognizable shapes, his mind constantly questioning why.
The concepts of time and space became very blurred.
The only thing he remembered was begging Pei Ruye to take his completely collapsed self to the last place Chi Ji had stayed.
The police had already set up the 17th floor as an investigation area, finding a lot of ash and residual paper pieces in the bedroom and on the 11th-floor platform where Chi Ji had fallen.
There was also a paper box that wasn’t burned, but they couldn’t detect anyone else’s fingerprints.
A rain shelter on the 14th floor acted like a buffer zone, allowing the body to be preserved relatively intact.
Huo Ren simply couldn’t bring himself to look at the crystal coffin. After being asked by the police to leave the 17th floor, he curled up in an office on the 16th floor, not eating or drinking for three whole days, his gaze completely unfocused.
At this moment, he should be thinking more about the future.
For instance, if this group disbands, what he is, where he can go, what kind of future he would have.
But wandering back and forth, his mind was filled with only one thing.
Chi Chi couldn’t possibly have done this.
Chi Chi was murdered.
He was killed.
I must avenge him, destroy the entire Han family.
But all the hatred and pain couldn’t compare to the sudden void and confusion in life.
Half asleep and half awake, Huo Ren could always see Chi Ji, see him playing the piano, singing.
He curled up in a warm corner he didn’t even know, dreaming of the whole group being together, singing, preparing to go abroad for a show tomorrow.
How could Chi Chi just disappear.
It’s impossible, no, it can’t be…
Suddenly becoming lucid in the middle of the night, then shockingly realizing.
The first time he met Chi Ji, what he heard was the funeral song of awakening spring.
It was as if the farewell had been destined long ago.
No one could accept such a sudden change.
Xie Lianyun just sat quietly beside the crystal coffin, silently guarding it for three days.
Long Jia and Bo Jue were enduring their grief, helping Jiang Shu take care of funeral affairs, taking care of Mei Shengyao and Huo Ren, being the last pillars of this family.
Mei Shengyao disappeared directly the night of that day, finally found by Mei Heng in the backyard of the old apartment, greeted and then taken away.
Jiang Shu was forcing himself to attend meetings.
He was the decision-maker, involved in deciding the future of Crown.
Xie Lianyun accompanied him to the meeting room.
After the funeral, what should happen to Crown?
No one could ignore the loss of this corner, no one could accept a new member joining.
Some senior executives tentatively suggested disbanding, while others insisted on continuing Crown.
On February 17, 2017, God took away Noah.
This news exploded on Weibo, with the group’s fans being hit hard, staying up all night weeping and lighting candles in vigil, chokingly reminiscing and mourning, repeatedly reviewing everything about him.
Sister Qing had collapsed to the point of looking for various proofs that Chi Ji was faking his death.
Jumping from the 17th floor, with a buffer zone, Chi Chi must not have died, he just didn’t want to stay in such a filthy place anymore, finding a way to leave that this world could accept.
The 17th floor isn’t high, so many people have survived, why couldn’t a miracle happen to Chi Chi?
But for many outside the circle, this was just another insignificant death notice.
Every year, famous people die, they would symbolically forward and mourn, then instantly forget, no longer caring.
February 20th was the day of the funeral and cremation.
The OSC awards ceremony started on time, fireworks were already being set off at a villa in the suburbs in celebration.
A gathering of celebrities converged in front of the international red carpet, dazzlingly accepting the baptism of flash photography.
Black veils and funeral banners were already prepared, people stood silently in front of the crystal coffin, waiting for the ceremony to begin.
Han Qu laughed wildly, opening champagne and blowing balloons in celebration with his subordinates, busty models shaking their hips to the nightclub music, with a seven-tiered fondant cake placed on the dining table.
The gold crown was once again presented to the public.
The pigeon blood ruby was set in the center, small diamonds adorned the sides, and sapphires scattered like stars, carrying countless people’s love and dreams.
“The Crown Award this year is awarded to… Corona.”
The camera then zoomed in for a close-up, six seats empty.
…
THIS IS UNFORGIVABLE!!!!
WTF. ahhh i thought when the author said in q&a section, they would live together till the end… why…