158 SOLITUDE

Inside an empty house where only barking of a distant dog could be heard, a bundle of what could be taken as a disheveled man was lying limply onto the mattress laid on the barren floor. Half his body was vertically covered with a thin blanket from his right neck up to his right calf, and both feet uncovered. There were empty cans of beer scattered all over the floor, and at the left side corner of the room two gadgets – a cellphone and a laptop – were left charging.

It was around three in the wee hours of the morning. Chen Linyun had been staying in their dream house in the meantime. The moment he left Apartment 301, he felt that his world had crumbled. He lost all the motivation he had to continue living.

Chen Holdings was doing fine without his supervision. Mo Wenbin, Si Yazu and Zhou Xin, his business partners, were there to oversee things. All his other acquired companies were also doing well since he had left the management of those to the original set of directors.