Chapter 2231 - 1065 to 1074 (Revised)_3
Chapter 2231: Chapter 1065 to 1074 (Revised)_3
A woman came to pick up Song Xiaodong. She wore professional attire, had a charming appearance and graceful demeanor, and inside the car, there was a driver and bodyguard wearing a suit and sunglasses.
"Mr. Song." The woman in professional attire greeted Song Xiaodong politely.
"Hello, how should I address you?" Song Xiaodong responded politely, but his expression remained indifferent.
"My surname is Kong." The woman in professional attire replied graciously.
"That would be Miss Kong then." Song Xiaodong said.
"Please, Mr. Song." Miss Kong opened the car door for Song Xiaodong.
Song Xiaodong got into the car, and Miss Kong sat with him in the back seat, leaving the front passenger seat empty.
"Are we going to pick up your Old Chief?" Song Xiaodong asked rudely.
Miss Kong was unbothered and replied, "Old Chief is already in the scenic area."
Song Xiaodong thought, that’s good, avoiding the awkwardness of two people staring at each other in a car.
Song Xiaodong closed his eyes for a rest, saying nothing, and Miss Kong, who initially planned to say something to break the awkward atmosphere, saw him resting without any intent to speak. So she refrained and took out her phone to play games.
Soon the car left the city, and on the highway, the driver drove boldly and fast yet steadily. Suddenly, after a turn, endless red maple leaves appeared like a tidal wave, seemingly ready to engulf the road and the small car.
The car turned left and right on the mountain road, the wind blew, and maple leaves danced with the wind, swirling back and forth in the valley, then fell to the ground. The road was littered with leaves, ruthlessly crushed by occasional passing vehicles.
Since it wasn’t a holiday, there were few people or vehicles, and the scenic area was virtually empty, with no sign of people.
After a few more turns, the car arrived at a concrete platform and pavilion on a high mountain.
Chapter 2070 Proposal
A car was parked nearby. At the viewing platform edge on the high mountain, an elderly person with a head full of white hair sat in a wheelchair, accompanied by a suited and sunglass-wearing attendant.
Miss Kong led Song Xiaodong towards this old man.
The person was Wang Gang, Brother Chao’s father, the retired Deputy Commander.
A man of importance.
The old man was staring thoughtfully at the distant maple forest, and the wind raised a maple leaf, which rotated in the air before gently falling into the forest.
Upon hearing footsteps, the old man turned the wheelchair around and saw Miss Kong alongside Song Xiaodong.
"Mr. Song, finally we meet." The old man extended his hand, his skin shriveled, rough, and slack, covered in age spots.
"Hello, Senior Officer." Song Xiaodong greeted with a cold smile and shook hands with Wang Gang.
"A true hero at such a young age, more promising than my disappointing son." Wang Gang said while holding Song Xiaodong’s hand.
"Ah, Old Chief, you can’t say that. Brother Chao is quite influential in Minghe, I’m far behind." Song Xiaodong spoke with a slight jab.
Wang Gang wasn’t offended, he released Song Xiaodong’s hand and turned the wheelchair back. Miss Kong quickly moved behind Wang Gang to help turn the wheelchair back toward the distant view.
The wind blew again, sweeping fiery red maple leaves in the wind and sunlight, over the forest and then powerlessly and hopelessly falling.
"You see, these maple leaves, born in spring, enduring the wind and sun through summer, all for this moment of falling leaves." Wang Gang said with a sigh.
"People are the same, struggling a lifetime, just waiting for that last breath." Wang Gang continued.
Clearly, Wang Gang reached Deputy Commander rank, and with his age, he was beyond caring about matters of the youth.
But he feared death.
Song Xiaodong then said, "I read a book about the concept of the death instinct, which suggests that humans come from being lifeless to living, thus have an instinct to return to the pre-life state, that’s the death instinct."
"Freud, I’m aware too, every organic being is conservative, gained from history, and wants to restore to a previous state. In other words, life is the process of returning from organic to inorganic." Wang Gang said.
"Yes, the world is inherently inorganic, changes in environment brought forth living beings, and simultaneously the life instinct of reproduction developed, stimulated by external factors. However, life inherited the inorganic nature biologically, life instinct stimulated life emergence, while the death instinct brings life back to inorganic." Song Xiaodong stated.
"Mr. Song, I know you’re a physician and your understanding of life is certainly deeper than mine. I want to ask, if death is an instinct, then why does life fear death?" Wang Gang turned to look at Song Xiaodong.
At that moment, Wang Gang was no longer a battle-proven soldier or a high-ranking Deputy Commander, just an old man with no hope left, paralyzed in the lower limbs, nearing the end.
Death is life’s ultimate fairness.
Song Xiaodong pondered a moment and replied seriously, "Because of the unknown."
Wang Gang listened, sighed, and nodded, before wanting to turn away again. Miss Kong helped him to turn the wheelchair.
Life is conservative and fearful of change, death is instinctive, but also a change.
"The physician said I have three months left, advanced-stage liver cancer." Wang Gang said.
Song Xiaodong didn’t know what to say, but upon closer look, he knew this person was not long for this world, fatally ill, beyond treatment.