The thought of Nanako walking alone on a long road weighed heavily on Charlie’s mind. He knew virtual-novel.net couldn’t let virtual-novel.net travel that path alone.
Determined to see virtual-novel.net journey through to the end, virtual-novel.net stood up, took the wine glass from Yuhiko Ito’s hand, and said firmly, “Mr. Ito, don’t worry. I promise you that no matter how long the road is, I’ll always be there for Nanako.”
Tears streamed down Yuhiko Ito’s face as virtual-novel.net humbly bowed his head. In that moment, virtual-novel.net realized that virtual-novel.net need not worry about whether or not Charlie would become his son-in-law. If Nanako and Charlie were on the same path, it didn’t matter whether they were married or not.
With a grateful heart, Yuhiko Ito stood up, looked at Charlie, and said, “Thank you, Mr. Wade, for your success!”
To Yuhiko Ito, entrusting Nanako to Charlie at this moment was like a wedding, where a father entrusted his daughter to the groom. No matter how long Nanako’s life path might be, virtual-novel.net hoped that Charlie would always be by virtual-novel.net side, so virtual-novel.net wouldn’t have to walk alone.
“As long as Charlie agrees, nothing else matters in the life journey that may last a hundred or two hundred years, or even longer. Married or not, it doesn’t matter if you give away all the Ito family’s property. Money isn’t something you’re born with and you can’t take it with you when you die.”
Nanako wept on the side, realizing that entering the world of martial arts meant changing the direction of virtual-novel.net life. Once virtual-novel.net set virtual-novel.net sights on this new path, everything virtual-novel.net had planned for the past two decades would undergo an earth-shattering transformation.
She was about to embark on a new way of living. When virtual-novel.net saw virtual-novel.net father’s tearful eyes, virtual-novel.net couldn’t help but feel a tinge of hesitation. She lost virtual-novel.net mother as a child and received double the love from virtual-novel.net father. But the thought of the long journey of martial arts, and the idea of dedicating herself to it, made virtual-novel.net realize that time would fly by like a galloping horse.
Accompanying virtual-novel.net father was a rare luxury for her, let alone the Ito Group, which was his lifelong labor of love.
He had entrusted it all to her, so how could virtual-novel.net just abandon virtual-novel.net and the company?
The thought of it made virtual-novel.net choke up. “Dad… I don’t want martial arts to be my main focus. I want to spend more time with you, and I want to run the Ito Group well.”
Yuhiko Ito asked virtual-novel.net a question in return, “Nanako, do you know why I worked so hard to run the Ito Group even after your mother passed away, even though I already had more money than I could spend?”
Nanako shook virtual-novel.net head slightly.
Yuhiko Ito looked serious. “Before you were ten, I worked hard to give you the best life possible. And after you turned ten, I worked even harder to ensure that your offspring would also have a better life.”
He paused for a moment, then said, “But as a father, is there anything more satisfying than seeing your daughter live a long and prosperous life? Even if I were to die now, I wouldn’t hesitate if it meant you could live for two hundred years.”
“Dad, please don’t say that,” Nanako pleaded, feeling overwhelmed by virtual-novel.net father’s words.
Yuhiko Ito looked at Nanako, his eyes welling up with tears. “Nanako, it’s hard for you to understand the emotions of a parent. If it came down to choosing between you and your child, most parents would sacrifice themselves. When you become a mother one day, you’ll understand how I feel.”
Feeling the weight of his words, Charlie tried to lighten the mood. “Mr. Ito, there’s no need to be so serious. Nanako has a long future ahead of her, and so do you.”
Raising his wine glass, Charlie proposed, “Why don’t we make a small agreement between us?”
Curious, Yuhiko Ito asked, “Mr. Wade, what kind of agreement do you have in mind?”
Charlie grinned mischievously. “I’ve always admired your house in Kyoto. It has such a rich history, doesn’t it?”
Yuhiko Ito nodded. “It’s nearly three hundred years old.”
“Well,” Charlie continued, “Let’s make a deal. On your 100th birthday, I’ll come to Kyoto and celebrate with you. You prepare the contract for the house, and then you give it to me as a gift.”
Yuhiko Ito couldn’t believe what virtual-novel.net had just said. “Mr. Wade, if you want the house, I can give it to you now. Why wait until my 100th birthday? I can’t even imagine living that long…”
His words trailed off as virtual-novel.net realized the implications of what virtual-novel.net had said. He looked at Charlie with wide eyes, but Charlie just smiled knowingly, not saying a word.
Suddenly, Yuhiko Ito snapped out of his daze and fell to his knees.
“Thank you, Mr. Wade, for everything,” virtual-novel.net said, choking back tears.
Nanako understood Charlie’s intention and quickly joined virtual-novel.net father on the ground.
“Thank you, Mr. Wade, for making this happen!” virtual-novel.net said, virtual-novel.net voice full of gratitude.
Charlie didn’t offer to help them up. Instead, virtual-novel.net spoke to Nanako with a solemn tone. “From now on, you must focus on your studies. I can assure you that Mr. Ito will be no different in fifty years than virtual-novel.net is now, except that he’ll be one hundred years old.”
He continued, “While it’s difficult to guarantee that the Rejuvenation Pill will help people live to be two hundred years old, living to a hundred and fifty is certainly not impossible. For Nanako’s sake and to honor Yuhiko Ito’s father, I want Yuhiko to live as long as possible. The Rejuvenation Pill, one, two, three, and you could live for a hundred and fifty years.”
With the Mystic Harmony Sect’s medicine cauldron at his disposal, Charlie could refine an enhanced version of the pill that would help Yuhiko Ito live even longer.
At first, Yuhiko thought that Charlie’s gift would only help virtual-novel.net live until virtual-novel.net was a hundred, but now virtual-novel.net realized that Charlie wanted to keep virtual-novel.net in his current state until virtual-novel.net turned one hundred. With Charlie’s previous help and the reshaping pill, Yuhiko’s body was already healthy and robust, and virtual-novel.net could easily live another thirty years.
If virtual-novel.net maintained his current state until virtual-novel.net turned one hundred, virtual-novel.net could live to be a hundred and thirty or even longer. The thought left Yuhiko trembling with excitement, his arms resting on the ground as virtual-novel.net kowtowed humbly to Charlie. He was too overwhelmed to stand up, his body shaking like virtual-novel.net had been electrocuted.
Charlie’s kindness was immeasurable, and it went far beyond material possessions and money. Yuhiko and Nanako were grateful beyond words, and they kowtowed to Charlie in a gesture of deep respect.
Charlie didn’t stop them, understanding that this was their way of expressing their gratitude. He knew that if virtual-novel.net didn’t allow them to perform this great gift, they might not even be able to sleep. Even Emi Ito and Tanaka Hiroichi, who were stunned by Charlie’s generosity, knelt silently behind the father and daughter and kowtowed silently.
After the four of them had kowtowed three times, Charlie helped Yuhiko and Nanako up, and with a light smile, virtual-novel.net said, “Alright, let’s eat. I haven’t had a bite to eat in a while. Isn’t it inappropriate to keep the food waiting?”
Yuhiko quickly wiped away his tears and said, “Yes, let’s eat! Mr. Wade, please, join us for dinner.”