Chapter 192: Why Didn’t You Tell Me?
In the summer days, the weather in the north was sultry and hot, while in the south, it was humid and hot. People in different places were all suffering dreadfully from the heat. As a result, everyone showed their gratitude to the inventor of the air conditioner, Willis Carrier.
The night view of Xiamen was spectacular. The moon was bright and the stars were few. Meanwhile in Beijing, it was already heavily clouded at this time. A fierce gale was blowing incessantly. Furthermore, lightning flashed across the sky and thunder rumbled. Apparently, heavy rain was on the way. However, everyone felt happy since the weather would not be as stuffing hot as it had been two days ago. If the stifling heat were to persist, nobody could put up with it.
In an alley of Dong Cheng District, Qin Changan was sitting on a second-floor balcony because he did not have any social interactions or any dinner parties today. He drew a cup of Longjing tea that he had picked himself before the Pure Brightness Festival, enjoying the rare coolness in the summer days. He was always busy in daily life. When he was at work, he was all wound up without any time to rest at all, completely different from how he was at home. Qin Changan was vigorous at work, carrying out every task with drive and urgency, while at home, he was calm and unhurried instead.
Before he drank up the whole teapot of tea, Gongsun ran upstairs in a hurry. He stopped in a place a few paces away from where Qin Changan was sitting. Sensing that Qin Changan was in a daze, he was hesitant whether he should interrupt him or not. Qin Changan, who had already come to his senses, raised his head and looked toward Gongsun, who was about to speak but said nothing instead. He then said casually, “Just tell it straight.”
Gongsun was very upset as he said, “Ran Ran has gone to Xiamen.”
Upon hearing this sentence, Qin Changan subconsciously became dazed. However, instead of speaking, he was locked in contemplation.
Yes, the woman who had rushed to Xiamen overnight and was standing at the entrance of Spring Breeze right now was exactly Qin Ran, Qin Sheng’s sister.
Gongsun did not stop her. He just learned of this news a moment ago. It was unknown who had leaked the secret out to Qin Ran that her brother, who had been missing for many years, had finally been found. She even found Qin Sheng’s location successfully.
Thinking about it sentimentally, Gongsun really hoped that the brother and sister could meet each other soon. After all, they had been separated from each other for more than 20 years. Qin Ran thought of her brother constantly and even hated Qin Changan very much because of that. Her brother’s issue had been torturing her. If someone dared to mention her brother in front of her, she would definitely turn hostile. Her brother was her most delicate sore point. During this period of more than 20 years, she had never given up on trying to find her brother. However, since the time gap was so large, finding her brother was just like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
Now she had finally found her brother. Of course, Qin Ran was very eager to reconcile with him. She did not care about Qin Changan’s thoughts at all.
However, thinking about it reasonably, Gongsun felt that Qin Changan’s plan was pretty reliable. Qin Changan had planned to approach Qin Sheng and communicate with him in a slow way so that they could bond with each other gradually. After he learned about Qin Sheng’s character and temperament well, he would encounter less resistance if he reconciled with Qin Sheng then. This plan now was on the verge of success. However, since Qin Ran was going to meet Qin Sheng in a hurry now, that meant that all of Qin Changan’s efforts would have been in vain. If Qin Sheng knew that Qin Changan had approached him in such a way, he would become disgruntled with Qin Changan and they would consequently come into conflict.
Gongsun did not hurriedly call Qin Ran to stop her from seeing Qin Sheng. Otherwise, the relationship between him and Qin Ran might become rigid. So he directly went to Qin Changan.
“Then let her meet him then. More than 20 years have passed.” Qin Changan sighed. Instead of feeling angry, he was a bit relieved. After all, since his daughter had been blaming him for such a long time, then it was about time this issue should be finally settled.
Gongsun was surprised, so he asked, “Then what are you going to do with your plan?”
Shaking his head, Qin Changan said, “Plans can never keep up with changes. They may have seen each other by now. What else can I do? Should I stop her? Then she will definitely hate my guts, won’t she?”
Gongsun was also helpless. Since that was the case, it was true that no other solutions were available. Before he was informed about this news, Qin Ran had already arrived in Xiamen. Gongsun let out a sigh and said, “Then, should you call her?”
“It’s not necessary. She will call me first. I am waiting for her call now,” Qin Changan replied thoughtfully. The reason why he was really good at retaining his composure was probably that he knew Qin Ran so well.
Nodding quietly, Gongsun did not speak anymore.
Several claps of thunder and lightning were closely followed by heavy rain, which came as expected. Raindrops as big as beans fell from the sky dazzlingly. After Qin Changan returned to the study room, he stared at the downpour outside the windows with a smile at the corner of his lips. He thought that the Qin Family had not been very populated for such a long time. If Qin Ran and Qin Sheng both got married, they would subsequently have children. In that case, the Qin family would be pretty lively then.
At that time, he could enjoy his twilight years…
At the entrance of Spring Breeze in Xiamen, the breeze was rustling gently.
It was unknown how long Qin Ran had been standing at the entrance. At this moment, she had mixed emotions well up in her heart, among which were excitement, expectation, restlessness, and agitation. After all, over 20 years had passed. She and her brother had been separated from each other for over 20 years. She had her brother in her thoughts day and night and she had been looking forward to the day that she could meet him. And now, the day had finally come. Today, she could see him at last.
How did she know Qin Sheng was here?
She knew because, over these several months, Qin Changan had gone to Xiamen too many times, which had aroused Qin Ran’s suspicions. She then called Qin Changan on her initiative and asked him the reason, only to be told that he was in Xiamen on a business trip. When she asked others about Qin Changan’s purpose in Xiamen, the answers they gave her were also out of order. After all, she had not heard from the company’s top executives about any new investment in Xiamen. Moreover, based on the current business situation in Xiamen, it was not worthwhile for Qin Changan to show up personally because he was the big boss behind the scenes.
As a result, Qin Ran got some people from her uncle and asked them to follow Qin Changan. After all, she knew that the people by Qin Changan’s side were not ordinary at all. Only people on her uncle’s side could help her. But she did not tell her uncle what was going on. After a thorough investigation, she then figured out the whole story.
Every time Qin Changan went to Xiamen, he was not there for a business trip. He stayed in a residential quarter called Pearl Bay Garden instead, and he would go to a cafe named Spring Breeze every day on time. There, he chatted happily with the boss of the cafe shop, whose name was Qin Sheng.
Upon hearing this name, Qin Ran made a pretty close guess. She was pretty shocked secretly. When she saw Qin Sheng’s photo, she was completely sure about her guess. The man in the photo was a dead ringer of her brother, they were so identical to each other as if they had been carved from the same mold. It was exactly him. He was her brother.
At that moment, staring at the two photos in her hands, she wept and laughed at the same time. She really did not know how to express in words the excitement in her heart. This was her brother, her biological brother, who she had been thinking of for over 20 years. She always thought about what he might look like in the end, and actually, she had thought about it thousands of times. Now she finally saw what he really looked like as a grown-up. She thought secretly and self-lovingly to herself that her brother was both handsome and energetic in appearance.
After Qin Ran calmed herself down, she directly chose to go to Xiamen without informing anyone, nor did she give Qin Changan a call, because she was already unable to hold herself back. All she wanted now was to see her bother in the next second.
Meanwhile in Spring Breeze, since there were few customers in the cafe at this moment, several waiters stared at Qin Ran standing at the entrance and mumbled in low voice. After all, this spectacular beauty had been standing there for several minutes.
The waiters were very excited that they could meet such great beauty at such a late time. The beauty’s appearance and temperament were completely different from those of the lady boss, who was simply a delightful feast to their eyes.
In the end, one of the waiters could not restrain himself anymore. He walked forward slowly and asked, “Beauty, how can I help you?”
This waiter looked pretty handsome, who also worked part-time. In his daily life, he liked to flirt with girls. Consequently, upon seeing this beauty in front of him right now, of course he marched forward confidently.
Qin Ran came to her senses and saw the waiter in front of her. Smiling gently, she did not say anything at all. After she took a few deep breaths, she then walked into Spring Breeze without hesitation. Looking around, she did not see Qin Sheng. Then she found a random seat thoughtfully and continued looking for traces of her brother along with his beautiful girlfriend.
The waiter walked over to her seat at a quick trot and asked her, “Beauty, would you like to order some drinks?”
Qin Ran ordered a cup of coffee casually and then asked bluntly, “Are your boss and lady boss here?”
It was not until then that the waiter finally figured out the reason why this beauty had shown up in Spring Breeze. He smiled politely. “I am really sorry about that. You are too late. It just so happens that our boss and lady boss have just left. What can I do for you?”
Upon hearing this sentence, Qin Ran felt pretty disappointed. Her high spirits suffered a drastic decline. She was like a gas-filled balloon that had been deflated. Following that, she asked, “Do you know the contact number of your boss and his dwelling place?”
Upon hearing this question, the waiter refused her subconsciously and said then, “As for that, so sorry that I really can’t tell you. If you want to look for him, you can come back here tomorrow.”
“When will your boss be here?” Qin Ran did not question him closely. She was afraid that the waiter would dislike or suspect her.
The waiter answered honestly, “Our lady boss will come here in the afternoon, but our boss will get here pretty late, usually at seven or eight o’clock in the evening. He will not be here if he is occupied.”
Qin Ran nodded and said thoughtfully, “All right. I will be here tomorrow then.”
The waiter said merrily, “Then how about we add each other on WeChat? I will inform you tomorrow if our boss is here. You can come here then.”
Qin Ran quickly resumed her cold temperament. She snorted, “No.”
Upon finishing her words, Qin Ran then left Spring Breeze with long strides. Meanwhile, the waiter was left to sigh behind her back, regretting that he had let such a good opportunity slip away.
After Qin Ran left Spring Breeze, she booked a room in the nearest five-star hotel. The driver left after driving her to the hotel successfully. After she returned to her room, she took a shower first. After the shower, wearing a dressing gown, she stood beside the French windows and enjoyed the beautiful sea view of Xiamen. The distant island of Kulangsu was still brightly lit at night. Though she had been to Xiamen several times before, her visit to Xiamen this time was definitely the most special one.
She had already calmed herself down completely. She had been extremely excited since she learned of the news about her brother this afternoon. After that, she went through ups and downs as if she were riding a roller coaster. She did not see her brother in the end. However, she was not that anxious to see him anymore. After all, she had been looking forward to seeing him for over 20 years, so she could wait one more day as well. She had the patience for that.
She was going to reconcile with her brother tomorrow. She really wanted to know where he had been for over 20 years and why he did not contact her, even just once. She missed him so much. She was dying to know even more how he had been doing in these years and whether or not he had endured so much hardship or torture.
Standing beside the windows, Qin Ran let her thoughts wander. Instead of longing for her brother, which she used to do before, one moment she laughed, and the other moment she cried. That was because she was going to see her brother tomorrow.
In the end, Qin Ran thought of Qin Changan. Back when she had just found out the news, she was pretty angry. She really wanted to find Qin Changan and question him face to face about why he did not inform her that her brother had been found. Why? Didn’t he know how much she had been missing her brother? However, at that time, she was not in the mood and she knew what was more important. For her, seeing her brother was the most important thing.
It was not until she had calmed herself down at this time that she finally thought of her original intention. As a result, she dialed Qin Changan’s mobile number without hesitation. The call was soon picked up. After all, Qin Changan had been waiting for her call.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” After the call went through, Qin Ran questioned her father aggressively. She directly got to the point.
