Chapter 265
As soon as Tang Che said this, all the guests were in an uproar.
"What? The heir to the Tang family?"
"Isn't Tang Jin the granddaughter of the Tang family? A girl can be the head of the family?"
"She is neither the eldest daughter nor a male heir. Why can she inherit the Tang family? Has Old Master Tang gone senile?"
"Will the rest of the Tang family accept this?"
"..."
Tang Mi, dressed in her wedding gown, froze.
Tang Jin was marrying into the Ji family, and she was marrying into the Hai family. The Hai family was no worse than the Ji family. Why was Tang Jin the heir and not her?
Before she could voice her doubts, Madam Tang spoke up first: "Uncle, this is against the rules."
"Rules?" Tang Che said indifferently. "The rules of the Tang family are set by me. Regardless of gender, the most capable person takes the position. Why don't you tell me, among the younger generation of the Tang family, who is more outstanding than Tang Jin?"
Madam Tang was immediately stumped.
In her eyes, no matter who was chosen, the heir should never be a girl.
Once a girl married out and became a daughter-in-law of another family, wouldn't the massive assets of the Tang family be merged into the Ji family?
Tang Youyi said coldly, "Since Uncle has chosen Tang Jin, then it is Tang Jin."
He looked at the audience. "Little Jin, come up to the stage."
Tang Jin had long guessed this outcome and was not too surprised.
Lifting her skirt, she walked up calmly and stood beside Tang Che.
Tang Che picked up the share transfer agreement that had been prepared in advance and handed it over. She raised both hands and accepted it solemnly.
She saw the elders of the clan standing below, each showing dissatisfaction on their faces, which was also expected.
First, she was too young.
Second, and most importantly, she was a girl.
Technology was changing rapidly, and times were rolling forward, but when it came to whether a man or a woman should inherit a family business, people still held an almost unanimous view.
Holding the microphone, she spoke: "Hello everyone, I am Tang Jin."
She picked up the necklace pendant on her chest. "This is a jade court bead necklace that I won at an auction three years ago for twenty-three million."
"At the time, the news said that the Tang family's daughter threw money around like water and was a true spendthrift. My grandmother accused me of squandering the family fortune."
"In fact, that twenty-three million was the total profit from the jewelry I designed during my college years. I did not squander my ancestors' estate."
"It was exactly this auction that led me to discover the lost secret recipe of the Yanjing Eight Imperial Handicrafts' Tian-tsui. Now, this intangible cultural heritage technique generates over a hundred million in revenue for Tang's Jewelry every year."
"As a designer, my mission is not to break tradition, but to let tradition continue to shine in a new era."
"From today on, I will use the vision of a designer and the wisdom of a chairman to lead the Tang Group to create a better future."
Standing offstage, Ji Jingchuan looked up at her.
He liked this sparkling girl.
She was confident, calm, bright, and open-minded... She was his exact opposite.
Being with her, it was as if the dark side of his heart dissipated little by little.
He also had to work hard to be worthy of her.
Below the stage, Old Master Ji, Old Master Hai, and Old Master Si, the three old men took the lead in applauding. Immediately after, all the guests applauded one after another. Amidst the enthusiastic applause, Tang Che suddenly began to cough violently.
"Great-grandfather!" Tang Jin hurriedly supported him. Seeing the blood he coughed up, she was terrified out of her wits but still maintained her composure. "Great-grandfather, let me help you down to rest first."
Every few months, reporters from the outside world would spread rumors that Old Master Tang had died of illness.
On such an occasion, with people everywhere, they had to be careful.
Tang Che, sitting in a wheelchair, was pushed off the stage. As soon as he was pushed to a secluded spot, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, staining the ground red, a shocking sight.
"Tang Che!"
Rong Yu was greatly alarmed.
She spoke quickly, "Hurry and arrange a private car to go to the hospital!"
She gripped Tang Che's hand tightly. "Hold on a little longer. Don't fall asleep, Tang Che. I'm here. I'm right here..."
This was the first time Rong Yu had called the helmsman of the Tang family by his first name in front of so many people.
Old Master Hai and Old Master Si exchanged a glance, and the two silently blocked Madam Tang, who was walking over.
Tang Youyi looked at Madam Tang: "The banquet has just begun. You stay here to receive the guests. I will take Uncle to the hospital. Be careful not to leak the news."
The private car arrived quickly.
Tang Che, who was coughing up blood, was helped into the car.
Rong Yu followed him into the car, holding his hand tightly the entire time.
Tang Che struggled to open his eyes and looked at her: "A-Yu, it's so good... so good to see you again... cough, cough, cough!"
"Stop talking." Rong Yu's throat felt tight. "We can talk slowly once you get better."
"There's no chance. I know my own body best. I've just been pushing through these past few months, cough, cough!" Tang Che's eyes held a smile. "A-Yu, I'm so jealous of you, jealous that you could become so young again, but... cough, cough, cough... but it's okay, I... I'm going to start my life over again too..."
The car sped along the road and arrived at the hospital in less than five minutes.
Tang Che was rushed inside.
A large group of people waited outside.
No one knew what to say. They were very silent, quietly watching the light of the emergency room.
About twenty minutes later, the door opened.
Tang Youyi dashed forward: "How is it? Is my uncle alright?"
The doctor's voice was heavy and slow: "Patient Tang Che, male, one hundred years old, passed away due to multiple organ failure. Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful, and he has been declared clinically dead."
Tang Youyi staggered and almost fell to the ground.
Rong Yu choked back a sob, her eyes turning red.
"Uncle Tang..." Old Master Ji wailed, "Uncle Tang!"
He rushed into the emergency room, and Old Master Hai and Old Master Si followed him inside.
On the hospital bed, Tang Che looked as if he had fallen asleep. His wrinkles had smoothed out, and there was even a faint smile on the corners of his mouth. However, his chest, which used to rise and fall slightly with his breathing, was now completely still.
The doctor said softly, "The old gentleman passed away very peacefully. In his final moments, his blood pressure and blood oxygen dropped slowly, and he showed no signs of pain."
Tang Youyi suddenly knelt in front of the hospital bed, tightly grasping Tang Che's gradually cooling hand, and pressed his forehead against the back of the hand covered in age spots. His whimpers were muffled in the white sheets, and his whole back heaved violently.
The other three old men were also crying loudly.
Old Master Si: "When Uncle Tang left, he must have still been thinking of us."
Old Master Hai: "Our elder is gone, and soon it will be our turn. We agreed, no matter who leaves, we are not allowed to cry like this."
Old Master Ji choked up: "I still want to live for a few more decades. Don't drag me into this..."
Rong Yu stood quietly.
She saw the plane trees rustling outside the window. A withered yellow leaf stuck to the glass and slowly slid down. The sound of a rolling cart echoed in the corridor, drawing near and then gradually fading away.
At this moment, a loud, clear baby's cry from afar suddenly pierced the hospital's gloomy atmosphere.
A child had been born. Every cry demonstrated the most primitive vitality of life.
Rong Yu suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of lightness.
What death took away, new life brought back, just like the ebb and flow of the tide, never ceasing.
Tang Che, I hope that in your next life, you will be born into a loving family and grow up surrounded by joy. May you meet someone you truly love, and have a beautiful child together...
Please, do not ever wait around so foolishly for someone again, and do not ever cling so stubbornly to someone you shouldn't love...