No One Can Take Anything from the Astors!

At a luxurious estate in Brooklyn, a young Bengal tiger cub lay sprawled on the grass, panting. Beside it, an earnest boy stared down at a book, lost in thought. After a long silence, he slowly rose and walked over to Liu Ren, who was sitting beneath a sun umbrella. "Father, why do our Chinese people judge success and failure by sacrifice?" Looking at his father with curiosity, Caesar Liu glanced down at the history book in his hand, a hint of doubt in his voice. Listening to his son, Liu Ren ruffled the boy's hair with a gentle smile. "Because we never judge heroes merely by whether they won or lost! Death is certainly terrifying, but some things are far more important than life and death!" Looking at the boy before him, a warm grin spread across Liu Ren's face. Across five thousand years of history, the Chinese had always been the protagonists on the world stage. A century of humiliation would never bring them to their knees; it would only make the Chinese who stood back up understand shame all the more deeply! In the Spring and Autumn annals, ten thousand victories were recorded in a single stroke, while a single crushing defeat was parsed into volumes! Never assume the humility of Far Eastern folk is etched into their bones, because far more than being humble, they are masters at remembering a grudge! The Gongyang Commentary once asked: Can a grudge of nine generations still be avenged? Even after a hundred generations, it is permissible! Confucius also said: Reviving the kingly way and repelling the barbarians—a grudge of ten generations can still be avenged. When it came to enmities of nation and family, it was no longer a matter of an individual's will; it was the boundless, inexhaustible fury of generations to come! "Remember this, son: we have a blood debt with the Japanese. And that debt, even if I'm no longer here, you must still collect!" Stroking his son's head, Liu Ren's face turned completely solemn. Nodding earnestly, Caesar replied, "Understood, Father. I'll remember it!" "All right, go play!" Liu Ren waved him off with a chuckle. Watching his son put down the book and dash happily across the lawn with the tiger cub, he couldn't help sighing with satisfaction. "Now that's what a childhood should be!" "Sir, a Mr. Wang has reached out to you," a maid said softly, stepping up beside Liu Ren with deep respect. Hearing her words, Liu Ren stood up and made his way toward his study. Stepping into the office, he cheerfully picked up the telephone. "Hello, Mr. Wang! Yes, it's me! Right, the items sent last time have arrived? Good, good, I understand!" Leaning back in his plush executive chair, Liu Ren spoke while jotting something down with a pen. Before long, his brows furrowed slightly. "All right, I understand!" Hanging up the phone, Liu Ren gazed at the string of numbers in his hand, his eyes growing solemn. It appeared to be a new contact line. "Aren't they being a bit too cautious?" Reflecting on his present standing, Liu Ren shook his head in amusement. Never mind that he had sent back precursor technology for nuclear weapons—even if an investigation traced back to him, without concrete evidence, who would dare lay a finger on him? Did FBI agents or CIA spies dare come arrest him? Without catching him red-handed with undeniable proof, Liu Ren could run down a congressman in broad daylight, and even if it were a governor, the man's ghost would have to return on the seventh day of mourning just to ask whether Liu Ren's Cadillac had suffered any scratches! Don't ask why he was so arrogant. That was simply how syndicates operated! The New York Syndicate: If you make it to the courthouse alive, count us useless! Liu Ren: Just kidding—even if you make it inside, you're never walking back out! The DuPont family: Why make it so complicated? Send his entire family on a one-way trip to the sky! Did the FBI truly have no leads or files on the dirty work he had pulled over the years? Don't make him laugh. Everyone knew the truth full well; they simply didn't want to poke through that sheet of window paper. After all, it wasn't an existential threat to the regime! As part of the "military-industrial complex," if he didn't hawk weapons everywhere, was he supposed to go sell wild dog milk in the Sahara Desert? "Wait a minute... they're just looking out for me!" A brilliant grin broke across Liu Ren's face, his mood instantly lifting. Thinking of this, he pulled open a drawer and flipped through an assortment of VIP diamond cards for private clubs. "In a good mood today. Time to go enjoy myself tonight!" Before Liu Ren could settle on a venue, the telephone rang sharply. He picked up the receiver, puzzled. "It's me. What is it?" "Ah Ren, we have an emergency! Lauren is critically ill—they're rushing him into the ER right now!" At the sound of A Chao's frantic voice, the expression on Liu Ren's face froze solid. He slammed the diamond card onto the desk. "What happened? Didn't we tell that fat bastard not to overeat? How did he end up in the hospital again! This isn't another one of his jokes, is it?" Recalling how Lauren's health had steadily deteriorated over the past few years, Liu Ren suddenly felt the chilling reality of aging, sickness, and death. "It's no joke. Schubert called personally!" As A Chao spoke, he too understood that Lauren might truly have reached the end of the line. Rubbing the space between his brows, Liu Ren said gravely, "I'm heading to the hospital right away!" Hanging up, he drew a deep breath, turned, and strode out of the office. Half an hour later, his Cadillac pulled up outside Presbyterian Hospital. Walking briskly inside, Liu Ren arrived alone, without any entourage. But the moment he reached the dedicated floor, he found the hallway already crowded with people. Looking at Schubert, who had grown into a mature young man, Liu Ren patted him on the shoulder. "It'll be all right, Schubert. Your father is going to pull through!" Hearing Liu Ren's reassurance, Schubert kept his head bowed, his face steeped in sorrow. "Uncle... Father... Father said he wanted to see you one last time!" In silence, Liu Ren pushed open the door to the hospital room. When his eyes fell upon Lauren lying in the bed, his fists clenched tightly. The jovial, chubby fellow of years past was now reduced to a mere bag of bones, bearing no resemblance to the man he once was. Wearing an oxygen mask, Lauren faintly opened his eyes. Seeming to recognize Liu Ren, he tremulously reached out a hand. "You came... my brother!" Stepping forward, Liu Ren took Lauren's hand and sat beside him. Glancing at the half-eaten corner of cake on the bedside table, he said softly, "Still as greedy as ever, Lauren." "Have you forgotten? Liu... this was the very first strawberry cake you gave me back then. I seem... seem to have almost forgotten what it tasted like..." A fit of violent coughing interrupted him; even finishing that sentence took all his strength. Having witnessed so much death and slaughter, Liu Ren fell into stunned silence. He had never imagined that a small gesture from long ago would be treasured by this man for thirty-seven years! Seeing Liu Ren remain silent, Lauren managed a faint smile, radiating the same honest warmth as years past. "Don't cry, buddy. I actually came out ahead... because you gave me the rest of my life..." "I should have forced you to lose that damn weight sooner, instead of watching you suffer like this!" Looking at Lauren, Liu Ren had no idea what else to say. "Cough, cough, cough..." Wracked by another bout of heavy coughing, Lauren's strength visibly waned. Gently soothing him, Liu Ren said with deep concern, "All right, don't talk anymore, buddy. I'll call the doctor!" "No, no need. I know... God's angels are coming. Please... do me one last favor, will you? Brother!" Gripping Liu Ren's hand tightly, Lauren's eyes suddenly became resolute. "Name it!" Liu Ren replied, his expression turning solemn. "Schubert is too kind-hearted... He hasn't learned enough of the world's lessons. I sheltered him too well. He needs you, my brother! Look after him for me... just like the two of us looked out for each other back then..." Tears spilled from the corners of Lauren's eyes as he forced out those heavy words. Placing his other hand over the back of Lauren's, Liu Ren said with absolute certainty, "No one can take anything from the Astors!" "Thank you, Liu... I think... I'm getting a little sleepy..." Having murmured his last words, Lauren lay quietly on the bed, still clutching Liu Ren's hand, his voice trailing away in a faint whisper. "For a good-for-nothing... my life... seems to have been pretty good after all..." Liu Ren waited in silence until the heart monitor dropped to a flat line. He gently crossed Lauren's hands over his chest, leaving him looking as though he had merely fallen asleep, before turning and stepping outside to tell Schubert that his father had gone home to heaven.