Miaomiao walked ahead, and the light-footed Lady Luo, Shan Gang leaned over to Qi Bin’s ear: "Mayor Qi, did you know Captain Luo before?"

Qi Bin nodded slightly: "Yes, but even though I knew her, I never imagined that this girl could have such a fierce side."

"This kind of Captain Luo is quite..." Shan Gang pondered for a while, unable to find the right word, he had to give up trying, "quite good."

A flicker of fire danced in Qi Bin’s eyes, remembering Hang Menglin’s grievances before her death, he couldn’t help but sigh internally. A girl like Luo Ye is naturally a focal point; it’s hard not to notice her!

Shan Gang observed his expression: "Does Mayor Qi like Captain Luo?"

"Even soldiers gossip like this?"

"Uh..." Shan Gang chuckled, "I like Captain Luo too, Bao Xiang and Jin Qiang both like Captain Luo. With a girl like Captain Luo, what man wouldn’t like her? But this kind of liking is different from Boss Ye’s liking for Captain Luo."

Qi Bin furrowed his eyebrows: "Are you warning me?"

"I’m not qualified for that, but..." Shan Gang’s expression also turned serious, "But whether what I’m saying is well-intentioned or malicious, Mayor Qi should be clear about that."

Qi Bin lowered his head, staying silent for a long time. Only when they were nearing their destination did he look at Shan Gang, his expression sincere: "Shan Gang, thank you!"

Shan Gang patted his shoulder and said nothing more.

"Lin Lin, open your eyes and look at your mom. How could you bear to leave without saying a word to Grandpa, to Mom and Dad..."

Luo Ye pushed open the door to the morgue and saw a dozen people standing in front of Hang Menglin’s bed, a middle-aged woman crying heartbrokenly.

Besides Hang Menglin, Hang Wen, and Hang Wu, she hadn’t met any other members of the Hang family, but from the woman’s wailing, she could tell who it was. There was also another person easily recognizable—among everyone present, only one man appeared to be over sixty.

Unexpectedly, when Mr. Hang saw Luo Ye, his expression didn’t change much. His gaze paused on her briefly, then moved to Qi Bin: "Xiao Qi, did Lin Lin leave any message for us?"

Before Qi Bin could answer, the attending doctor requested with a troubled look: "Mayor Qi, could everyone please leave? It’s really not suitable to stay here too long."

Qi Bin looked to Mr. Hang for his opinion: "Grandpa Hang, shall we go talk in the meeting room?"

"Alright!" Mr. Hang readily agreed, took a step toward the exit, and when he was beside Luo Ye, his cloudy eyes stared at her for a moment, a faint "humph" from his nose, before he continued walking.

Luo Ye’s eyebrows slightly furrowed, almost imperceptibly. Could it be laughable that she found his behavior unreasonable? If that truly were the case, how could the Hang family have been so careless?

"I’ll lead the way." The attending doctor hurriedly ran to the front.

"Ye’er, did you notice anything off?" Qi Bin asked quietly, clearly having noticed Luo Ye’s change in expression earlier.

"Nothing," Luo Ye shook her head, her gaze turning to the backs of the Hang family members, "Let’s address what’s in front of us first."

Unexpectedly, after Qi Bin announced Hang Menglin’s will, Mr. Hang and Hang Dad and Hang Ma did not object, and all agreed in unison to follow Hang Menglin’s wish to hand over all her property to Liang Huaping.

Exchanging a subtle look with Luo Ye, Qi Bin continued: "Menglin had made a will earlier. Besides my verbal conveyance, the lawyer will soon send over the documents."

"Whether they come or not doesn’t matter; we trust you." Mr. Hang patted Qi Bin’s hand, "Having you with her when Lin Lin left was a blessing for her."

"You’re too kind, Grandpa Hang. Menglin helped me a lot too." This made Qi Bin feel somewhat embarrassed.

Standing quietly to the side, Mr. Fang couldn’t hide his amazement. Mr. Hang’s behavior now was completely different from when they left the City Government earlier; he even wondered if he had misheard before, if Mr. Hang was still the elder he respected...

...

The discussions regarding Hang Menglin’s funeral arrangements proceeded very smoothly. The farewell to her remains would take place in Qujing City in three days, followed by cremation and then transportation back to Sha City for burial the next day.

As for Liang Huaping, after some hesitation, Qi Bin still called him.

The response was one of deep gratitude for Hang Menglin’s concern. However, as he now had a wife and children, he couldn’t accept the bequest. He provided Qi Bin with his identification number, requesting assistance in donating the inheritance, and asked to be notified when signing the contract.

"He’s a man with ambitions." Qi Bin remarked after hanging up the phone.

"Indeed, such a choice requires courage. He understands better than Liang Huarui what he truly needs, and the woman who marries him will be very happy."

Qi Bin hesitated a bit: "Ye’er, he’s not the same as Boss Ye; there’s no comparing them."

"I know, but you have to admit that most men lack his decisiveness. He’s not unfeeling; he just better understands what he should cherish."

"Yes!" After a moment, Qi Bin replied with a single word, realizing he might be overthinking, Luo Ye quickly explained, "Brother Qi, it’s only upon encountering true feelings that one learns to cherish."

Qi Bin smiled bitterly, "I’m not that fragile. In this life, I will always feel guilty towards Menglin. If it weren’t for my hypocrisy, she wouldn’t have given up.

Liu Miaoliang once said, if someone loses the will to live from the bottom of their heart, then even minor injuries can be fatal."

"Why is Brother Qi getting caught up in this again? Didn’t you advise me earlier?" Luo Ye’s eyes turned deep, "Sometimes, you have no choice but to believe in fate."

"I didn’t expect Ye’er to be so superstitious."

If this is superstition, how many people would be shocked if her rebirth was revealed? Luo Ye didn’t want to continue on this topic, so she said, "I’ll go check the auditorium, see how the setup is coming along."

In the evening, all Hang Family members arrived, and then everyone was busy arranging the funeral. The Hang Family’s behavior was completely different from their previous indifference.

Luo Ye and Shan Gang, as official representatives, found negotiations with the Hang Family to be very smooth. Yet, the smoother it went, the more cautious Luo Ye became, thinking that anomalies must have an underlying cause. She didn’t believe that Mr. Hang would suddenly change his nature.

However, Mr. Hang’s behavior made her a bit uncertain about her prior suspicions.

The day before Hang Menglin’s farewell, Yu Na hurried over. Luo Ye had already informed her of Hang Menglin’s last wishes, so she arrived with red, swollen eyes. That night, she kept vigil with the younger members of the Hang Family for Hang Menglin.

Another anomaly in the vigil was Xiang Lianxing; no matter how the Hang Family tried to persuade him, he remained kneeling in front of the spirit and refused to get up. Eventually, they had to let him be.

On the day of the farewell, besides the old and young of the Hang Family and Qujing City’s official personnel, many of Hang Menglin’s comrades from her previous service came as well.

At ten o’clock sharp, Xia Keming, Lei Dawei, Han Leming, Yan Sanping, and others all arrived, giving the Hang Family considerable face.

At three thirty-nine in the afternoon, Hang Menglin was cremated.

The next day, at six minutes past six in the morning, that square little box was transported back to Sha City under the escort of the Hang Family’s long convoy.

According to the Hang Family’s tradition, women are not allowed to be buried in their cemetery. However, Mr. Hang made an exception, offering incense to the ancestors and leading the family to bury Hang Menglin in the Hang Family cemetery.

After Hang Menglin was buried, Luo Ye did not immediately return to school. Instead, she first visited Elder Zhan. After chatting with him, she felt much more at ease. When she returned to school, Xing Nong was the only one in the dorm, hugging a book in bed. Seeing Luo Ye enter, she deliberately gave a cold snort, turned over, and pretended not to see her.

With her eyes rolling, Luo Ye turned to leave, but Xing Nong, who had been listening, quickly sat up: "Damn Luoluo, get back here!"

Luo Ye giggled as she returned, "I thought Qiu’er didn’t want to see me. So, to avoid annoying a certain Qiu’er, I thought I’d disappear for a while."

"How dare you say that, disappearing for so long without missing anyone." Xing Nong pursed her lips, "Yao Yao and I kept thinking about you every day, you heartless thing."

Luo Ye’s expression turned serious: "Qiu’er, Coach Hang is gone."

"Where to?" Qiu’er didn’t react for a moment.

"To heaven!" Luo Ye’s response was simple and clear.

After being stunned for a long time, Yan Xingnong’s expression gradually became solemn. She climbed out of bed and her voice trembled slightly, "Luoluo, is it true? You... you’re not lying to me?"

"How could I joke about something like this?" Luo Ye sighed, "Before she passed, she was always worried about Yu Na. That’s why I called her. At that moment, I really wasn’t in the mood to say much to you." It was a sort of explanation for not saying much at the time.

"I’m sorry." Xing Nong’s voice choked up, "Luoluo, am I too useless? I used to dislike her so much, but now, why do I feel so unwilling to let go?"

"She was genuine. She was strict with us, which was unpleasant at the time, but in retrospect, it was beneficial. It’s nothing wrong for you to remember her."

"Why wasn’t this made public?" Xing Nong looked at Luo Ye in confusion, "Coach Hang was part of our school, after all. You’d think the school would issue an obituary."

"Her father was involved in the case she was carrying out, so it couldn’t be publicized openly."

Understanding dawned on Xing Nong: "So that’s why. Is there anything I can do?"

"Her grave is in East Corner. I’ll accompany you and Yao Yao to visit her another day, and ask around if anyone else wants to go, we can go together." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"Okay, let’s do it this Saturday."

As they were discussing, a weary-looking Yu Na walked in, dropped her head, and sat in a daze on the bed without saying a word.

After a moment’s hesitation, Xing Nong went over to touch her hand: "Yu Na, if you’re feeling bad, just cry it out. There’s no one else here anyway."

-----

Today’s update ends here. Special thanks to Pink for Nuan, and to all of you who subscribe to the official version, mwah~ (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to go to Qidian (qidian.com) and vote for recommendation or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)