Chapter 37: The wall fell and everyone pushed it

The next day, early morning. Douglas awoke from his meditation and, as usual, practiced his exercises on the rooftop to greet the sunrise. Afterward, he went downstairs to prepare breakfast. Once Angelia and Lynette were up, the three of them enjoyed breakfast together. After cleaning up the dishes and taking a short rest, Douglas left the house. He had promised Lynette to take her to the amusement park today. Since his car was too small to accommodate three people, he decided to drive Angelia's car instead. Douglas drove, with Angelia and Lynette sitting in the back. Lynette was overjoyed throughout the journey, as this was her first visit to an amusement park. Previously, having a full meal was already a blessing, let alone visiting an amusement park. Douglas looked at Angelia and Lynette playing in the rearview mirror, a smile curling at the corners of his mouth. Upon arriving at the entrance of the amusement park and parking the car, Douglas went to buy tickets. He thought they had arrived early enough to avoid the crowds, but he had forgotten it was Saturday, and the place was bustling with people. After queuing for a while, Douglas finally managed to purchase the tickets. Returning to the car, he saw Lynette holding a "Pleasant Goat" balloon. "Daddy, isn't it pretty? Sister bought it for me," Lynette said, showing off her new treasure. Douglas smiled, "It's very pretty." He then picked up Lynette, "Let's go, we're heading in now." "Sister, hurry up, or you might get lost." Lynette waved her little hand, worried Angelia might fall behind. Douglas chuckled at the scene. After getting their tickets checked, they entered the amusement park. Lynette looked around with wide eyes, curiously observing the various rides and attractions. Douglas felt a pang of guilt; this was the first time he had taken Lynette to an amusement park, reflecting on how he had failed in his duties as a father before. "Which one you want to play first?" "Daddy, I don't know," Lynette hesitated for a long while, troubled. There were so many fun things here. She wanted to play them all, but she didn't know which one to start with. Angelia suggested, "Let's start with the carousel. It'll help you get used to it, then we can try other things." "Okay, okay!" Lynette danced with joy. "Then wait here, I'll go buy the tickets." Douglas said, handing Lynette to Angelia before he went to queue for tickets, purchasing two. When he returned, Angelia noticed there were only two tickets and curiously asked, "Why did you only buy two?" "You and Lynette go ahead. It's not really for a big guy like me; I don't want to break it and embarrass myself." Angelia laughed, "How could that happen? The carousel is sturdy enough. It wouldn't just collapse under your weight, not even with three or five people like you." "Let's just have you two enjoy it. I'll wait here." Even if the ride could support his weight, Douglas still felt resistant to the idea of a grown man riding on the carousel. "Alright then!" Angelia agreed and then took out her phone. "You're in charge of taking photos of me and Lynette." "No problem!" Douglas happily agreed. Angelia went in with Lynette, settling onto a unicorn-shaped horse with Lynette in her arms. As the carousel started to slowly spin. "Daddy!" Lynette waved excitedly at Douglas each time they circled around to where he was standing. Douglas waved back with a smile. "Don't forget to take our picture," Angelia called out. He almost forgot about that, quickly pulling out his phone to start snapping photos. "Yay..." Angelia made a peace sign with her fingers. Douglas paused for a moment, realizing that certain gestures really depended on the person. While it might look outdated for some, Angelia managed to make it look pure and cute. Lynette, imitating Angelia, stretched out her tender little fingers and cheered, "Yay..." "Lynette, let's make a heart shape for Daddy together," Angelia taught Lynette how to make the heart gesture. "Daddy, making a heart..." Lynette clumsily formed a little heart with her thumb and index finger, but the gesture looked more like she was pinching something. Douglas chuckled softly, capturing this precious moment on his phone. While Douglas enjoyed laughter and happiness, Kent was surrounded by clouds of worry. It was Saturday, and the office was closed, but Kent still came to the office, sitting alone in his office, lost in thought. "Damn it, all a bunch of ingrates. When making money, they treated me closer than their own fathers. Now that I'm in trouble, they run faster than mad dogs," Kent cursed angrily, his eyes red with fury. Several business partners had suddenly terminated their partnerships, and he had been trying to find new funding since yesterday without sleep, making countless calls. Those who used to call him "Chairman Lee" affectionately now avoided him like the plague. The circle in Jadeborough City is so small that any slight disturbance becomes common knowledge. Pinnacle Group was now in dire straits, with a broken financial chain and enemies on all sides. Those profit-driven businessmen naturally kept their distance. Kent's face was so dark it seemed it could drip water. Others might have been bad enough, but last night, Blanche's father and Keith turned against him. The several residential areas they were developing together had seen a significant investment from all three parties. Now, with this situation and a lack of subsequent support, Blanche's father and Keith sensed trouble and wanted their money back. Last night, Blanche's father, Keith, made a scene at his house for most of the night. Kent finally understood what it meant for the business world to be a battlefield where everyone kicks you when you're down. "Bastards, all of you can go to hell! I won't fall. You all want to abandon me, but I won't let you get your way," Kent vented his anger by slamming the desk. Just then, his phone rang. Kent glanced at it, seeing an unknown number, and answered with an impatient tone, "Hello, who is it?" "You seem to be in quite a temper, Chairman Lee. It seems I've called at a bad time," the caller remarked. Kent paused, finding the voice somewhat familiar, and asked with a frown, "Who are you?" "Chairman Lee really forgets his old friends. I'm Elvis." Kent stood up abruptly, his eyes burning with rage. Elvis was his biggest financial backer, who had unilaterally terminated their contract. He had sought him out several times, but Freeman had avoided him. And now he dared to call. "Mr. Freeman, are you calling to mock me?" Kent asked coldly. Freeman replied with a bitter laugh, "It seems you hold quite a grudge against me, Chairman Lee." In his heart, Kent thought, "My feelings towards you are more than just a grudge; I wish I could kill you." Of course, he wouldn't say this outright, instead responding more diplomatically, "What's the reason for your call, Mr. Freeman?" "I called mainly to apologize to you, Chairman Lee. Actually, I've run into some trouble. Do you remember the Wind Housing investment I made before the new year?" Kent was aware of it. Freeman had almost put his entire worth into investing in Wind Housing. "Chairman Lee, to be honest, Wind and Housing has gone bankrupt. That bastard, the person in charge, ran off with the money. I'm in the same situation as you now, with a broken financial chain, trying to find money everywhere. It wasn't that I wanted to end our cooperation intentionally; I genuinely ran out of money." "How could this happen?" Kent seemed concerned, but inside, he was secretly delighted, feeling a bit of schadenfreude. That's human nature for you, resenting others' poverty, fearing their wealth, and hoping others are worse off when you're down. Kent was fully embodying the darker side of human nature at that moment.