bioinnovel Chapter 175 How to get the windmill spinning again?
Chapter 175 How to get the windmill spinning again?
Su Chen's steps were hurried, his footsteps making a series of crisp, crackling sounds as he walked on the wet, bluish-green stone slabs.
It was as if they wanted to crush all the emotions that had been building up over this period of time under their feet.
A crack quietly appeared in the dark clouds, letting in a few rays of weak sunlight.
The mud on the old street hadn't dried yet, and the potholes reflected the cold, lingering light refracted from the alloy signboard of the No. 1 store.
As they got closer to the black Mercedes, Su Chen, through the car window, gradually saw Su Ang's most authentic appearance become clearer and clearer.
In the deepest part of the carriage, the eldest son of the main branch, who used to be meticulous in everything he did, was now slumped in a leather seat, looking rather dejected.
Su Ang's tie had long been torn crooked by his own actions. His once meticulously combed, proud, and perfectly neat slicked-back hair was now disheveled and hanging loosely over his forehead, with a few strands of hair obscuring his eyes.
He was completely enveloped in shadow, his eyes behind his glasses staring blankly into the void. The sharp edge that belonged to Young Master Su vanished completely in that instant, leaving only an empty shell stripped of all pride.
Seeing his brother's dejected and even pitiful state, Su Chen unconsciously slowed his pace.
His heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, and the bitter taste was far more unbearable than he had imagined.
His feelings became increasingly complicated.
On his way there, Su Chen repeatedly questioned himself: what should he say to Su Ang when he finally saw him?
Should I have given him a good scolding in the past?
To say he's concerned about his reputation and brought it upon himself?
To say that his arrogance led to his current broken state is entirely deserved?!
Su Chen raised his right hand, clenching his knuckles tightly. The vicious words and sarcasm he had prepared seemed so pale and powerless in his throat, making it impossible for him to utter a single vulgar word.
"Young Master Chen...?"
Just as Su Chen stopped abruptly not far from the car door, the third brother, who had been hunched over and looking somewhat pale, was the first to notice the young man striding out from the depths of the white vapor.
The third brother's bloodshot eyes widened, his mouth gaped open, and he let out a hoarse, utterly incredulous gasp:
"You...how did you get here from next door?!"
Su Chen glanced at him indifferently, her voice calm and even, without the slightest ripple, and simply uttered three words:
"Looking for my brother."
After saying that, Su Chen took a big step forward, passing through the distorted gap in the car window and staring straight at Su Ang's face inside.
Zhou Benchang, who was sitting on the right side of the carriage, suddenly shivered.
The moment he saw the second young master of the Su family, reeking of worldly affairs, standing like a gatekeeper outside, cold sweat broke out on the forehead of this master of the red walls.
This cunning old fox naturally knew that the power struggle between the eldest and second young masters of the Su family was something a paid employee like him couldn't possibly meddle in!
"Second, Second Young Master..."
Zhou Benchang greeted Su Chen with a trembling voice.
Immediately, he wisely turned his head and exchanged a glance with the third brother outside the car door. It was the most tacit survival signal between two "working people" who were in the same boat.
The third brother has been with the Su family for so many years, how could he not understand these things?!
He hurriedly bent over, tugged at Zhou Benchang's sleeve with one hand, and shouted into the car with a dry laugh, his voice sharp and distorted:
"Um...Mr. Su, I...I'm going with Master Zhou to check out the data at the No. 1 store up ahead. You two can chat...chat away!!"
Before Su Ang could give any response, Zhou Benchang and the third brother hurriedly ran away in less than two seconds.
This desolate, lifeless corner was left to the two Su brothers.
However, Su Ang remained slumped in his chair, seemingly oblivious to everything around him.
Even though Lao San and Zhou Benchang made such a commotion, and even though Su Chen stood outside the car door staring intently at him, Su Ang's pale face remained completely still, without even a tremor in his eyelashes.
It seems that it has completely shut itself off from everything around it, entering a state of self-exile.
A cool breeze blew gently across the damp old street.
Su Chen stood outside the car door, quietly and with mixed feelings looking at Su Ang.
A long time passed.
I don't know if it was the overpowering smell of garlic and loach that was seeping in through the cracks in the car window, or if it was Su Chen's gaze that was too intense and passionate.
Su Ang's empty black eyes slowly moved towards the car window.
He tilted his head, his eyes no longer holding the arrogance of the past, but only a chilling stillness and emptiness.
Su Ang stared coldly at his younger brother outside the door, his voice dry and hoarse, devoid of any warmth, as he uttered a sentence:
What are you doing here?
Su Ang tugged at his crooked tie, a self-deprecating smile playing on his lips:
"...Are you here to laugh at me?"
Su Chen stared into his eyes.
Those eyes, once filled with confidence and arrogance, now held nothing but utter dejection and helplessness.
Su Chen gripped his fingers tightly, staring at the scene for a good half minute before letting out a complex, cold snort.
He lowered his head slightly and whispered in Su Ang's ear:
"Su Ang... you really weren't like this before."
"This is... somewhat disappointing."
Su Chen's gaze lingered on Su Ang's defeated face, and he lowered his voice considerably:
"If you fall down... can you never get up again?"
"If you give up and cower in the carriage like a useless person at the slightest setback... how can you expect the windmill to keep turning?!"
Leaving behind this nonsensical whisper, Su Chen didn't even bother to look back at Su Ang again; he simply turned away.
With his hands in his pockets, he strode forward, stepping on the wet stone path, and calmly walked away towards the old wooden door of "Human Fireworks," which emitted white steam and spicy aromas.
Outside the car door, the wind was blowing gently.
And deep inside the luxurious, cold interior of that black Mercedes-Benz.
Su Ang, slumped in his leather executive chair, was struck by the words "windmill" and "spinning"—words that sounded both childish and incredibly distant.
Those empty, narrow pupils suddenly... contracted violently to the size of pinpoints!
He felt as if he had been struck hard on the top of his head by an invisible bolt of lightning, and his whole body went numb as he sat in the CEO's chair.
Su Ang opened his mouth in a daze, but his throat felt like it was filled with ice, and he couldn't utter a single note.
The afterglow of the setting sun, the soaked bamboo strips, and the figure of little Su Chen with her nose red from crying in the back garden... in that instant, it all turned into a torrential downpour, crashing down on all the rationality and coldness in his mind, leaving it utterly defeated.
The Mercedes' headlights were still flashing faintly.
Su Ang... sat in the carriage as if he had lost his soul, unable to come back to his senses for a long time.