Qin Sheng, who thought Lin Su was going to say something serious about her work or a business trip, had not expected this. What Lin Su had said gave him a lot of food for thought.
Lin Changhe’s attitude was intriguing and vague. Qin Sheng was not sure that this was just Lin Changhe’s personal view or the Lins’ opinion. What on earth did the Lins want to do this time? Lin Changhe had not done anything. Instead, he had asked for communication. Besides, why had Lin Changhe said all this? Their situation in Hangzhou had been revealed by Yan Chaozong, who had been staying in Hangzhou.
These things were particularly important to Qin Sheng. He thought the Lins would know they were in trouble before Yan Chaozong, but the truth was unexpectedly quite the opposite.
As far as he knew, Yan Chaozong would never stay silent after suffering a loss, especially when he had the absolute advantage. Last time, Qin Sheng had been lucky to escape. If Uncle Zhuang hadn’t appeared to save him at the last moment, he would have been dead now. If one took into consideration the fact that Yan Chaozong knew Qin Sheng was in Hangzhou, this man definitely was not staying in Hangzhou for vacation. So what was he doing? Qin Sheng was eager to figure it out. The incident last night had probably been caused by Yan Chaozong, who actually had the ability to do it.
However, Qin Sheng had to consult Lin Su or at least discover Lin Su’s attitude. Thus, he asked her, “What do you think of this?”
Upon hearing Qin Sheng’s words, Lin Su shook her head and said, “Except my grandmother, I don’t care about any of the Lins anymore.”
Qin Sheng knew that Lin Su had been missing her grandmother. He was not a selfish person, so he did not want to make Lin Su give up everything for him. Therefore, he said seriously, “I’ll meet and talk with your uncle. I wonder what they’re thinking.”
“When?” Lin Su’s eyes were filled with joy. Of course, she hoped that their conflict with the Lins could be settled. Although she said she didn’t care about the Lins except her grandmother, she was a member of the Lin family and had gotten along with them for over twenty years.
Qin Sheng was decisive as he said, “Now. Call your uncle and tell him I’ll wait for him in the cafe downstairs.”
“Okay, I’m asking him.” Lin Su immediately went to her bedroom to make a phone call.
Qin Sheng was still thinking about the connection between the incident last night and what Lin Changhe had said. He had to ask around for what Yan Chaozong was doing and whom he had met during his stay in Hangzhou. However, this would be quite difficult.
Lin Su finished the phone call soon and went back to the sitting room before telling Qin Sheng that her uncle was now at Hangzhou’s branch to deal with some business and would be here soon.
It would be some time before Lin Changhe came, so Qin Sheng and Lin Su finally had some time to enjoy a meal. Then, Qin Sheng washed the dishes, changed into relaxing clothes, and went to the cafe downstairs with Lin Su to wait for Lin Changhe. This would be his third meeting with Lin Changhe.
They ordered two coffees and waited for about ten minutes before Lin Changhe finally arrived at the cafe. Lin Changhe had come alone. It seemed that he was trying to show his sincerity and win Qin Sheng’s trust.
Lin Su and Qin Sheng stood up to welcome him. Lin Su was a little excited, for she had not met any of her relatives for almost half a year. Her uncle had been kind to her, unlike her other mean relatives. However, she still carefully hid her emotions and tried to look calm as she smiled gently and greeted him. “Uncle.”
Lin Changhe sighed with emotion and said, “My little girl, it has been almost ten months since I last met you. You’ve become slimmer. This is not good. You also look tired. You don’t have to lead such a hard life.”
“Uncle, we did not come to talk about this today.” Lin Su was afraid that this would frustrate Qin Sheng, so she tried to keep her distance from her uncle.
When Lin Changhe moved his attention to him, Qin Sheng greeted him calmly. “Second Uncle Lin.”
Lin Changhe nodded and smiled at Qin Sheng. “Take a seat. We have a lot to talk about.”
The three of them took their seats. Lin Changhe was sitting across from Lin Su, keeping some distance from Qin Sheng. Today’s rehearsal was on his mind. He should not stand on the opposite side of Qin Sheng, but consider Qin Sheng and Lin Su an item so that the conversation could go on smoothly. Otherwise, Qin Sheng would feel uncomfortable and say emotional words.
After all, he had experienced so much at the business venue. Of course, he had the wisdom to tackle this kind of occasion.
“You left a long time ago. How are you doing these days?” Lin Changhe asked, taking the initiative. It would be better to create a friendly atmosphere before they got to the point.
Lin Su shot Qin Sheng a glance and answered, “There are no storms or huge waves. We just lead a very calm and normal life. I don’t need to worry that much and meet people I don’t want to meet now.”
“Little girl, what do you mean by ‘people you don’t want to meet’? Do you mean the Lins? You left home such a long time ago. You father, though he’s never said this, misses you very much. His position demands that he shows his authority, so he can’t express his own thoughts easily. We’ve managed to find you but failed otherwise. I really wonder how you just disappeared.” Lin Changhe was really curious. According to Yan Chaozong’s information, Qin Sheng and Lin Su had stayed in Xiamen for half a year. Today, it was almost impossible for people to hide totally, except if they lived in some deep forest. People living in cities had to show their identities everywhere, such as when using an ID card or a bank card. He was curious to know how they had hidden their traces so well.
Qin Sheng realized what Lin Changhe was thinking and answered, “There are too many people in the city. Nobody would notice us if we changed our identities.”
Lin Changhe had suspected this before. He also wondered how Qin Sheng had won his position in Hangzhou during such a short time. Somebody had to be helping him. However, to hide their traces, Qin Sheng had lost the resources of the Lins. Therefore, how had Qin Sheng formed relations with so many big shots without a foundation in Hangzhou? Obviously, Lin Changhe was sure that Qin Sheng was not simple at all. This young man was full of puzzles, especially considering his stories in Shanghai. Lin Changhe knew that Qin Sheng was from Xi’an and could only rely on his adoptive parents. However, that family had flopped a few years ago, so he could not take advantage of it anymore.
As far as his stories in Shanghai were concerned, Qin Sheng had met Han Guoping there. Han Guoping had committed both his daughter and Guo Ping Bloc’s business to Qin Sheng’s care, showing absolute trust in Qin Sheng. He also knew Jiang Xianbang, who had helped him a lot. Thanks to Jiang’s help, Qin Sheng had trained in Shangshan Ruoshui. Then, he had been implicated and disappeared into thin air. Nobody had been able to found him before Qin Sheng had emerged in Hangzhou suddenly and soared like a rocket. This was all incredible.
Lin Changhe, who did not want to think about those things anymore, said in a low voice, “You don’t need to go that far for the Lins’ business. The Lin family is too old. Anything could happen to it.”
Lin Changhe’s words irritated Qin Sheng immediately. However, Lin Changhe was Lin Su’s uncle and Lin Su was sitting beside him, so he had no other choice but to hide his irritation and say, “I don’t understand this, Second Uncle. What do you mean by that? Is that possible? If I died that night, then everything would be over. I would be nothing, and the Lins would naturally be satisfied.”
The Lins had not been involved in the incident that night, so Lin Changhe was confused by Qin Sheng’s words. “What do you mean? Qin Sheng, I don’t understand you,” he said.
“Second Uncle, you must have known what was going on. That night, the Lins and the Yans joined forces to kill me. You thought everything would be settled if I died,” Qin Sheng said as he stared at Lin Changhe, his voice becoming even cloudier.
Lin Su was pale. That incident was a scar at the bottom of her heart. She would always remember meeting Qin Sheng at the hospital. He had been fascia all over while lying in bed unconsciously. He had been on the verge of death, so he might have died at any time. She would never forget how much pain she had felt those days. Qin Sheng had tolerated endless pain during those six months of recovery, yet only she knew about this.
That was why she hated the Lins so much. They had tried to kill Qin Sheng.
Lin Changhe, who was astonished, said, “To kill you? The Lins and the Yans joined up to kill you? I knew nothing about this. How dare they?”
“Really? You knew nothing at all? Or you are pretending?” Qin Sheng grinned with scorn.
Lin Changhe said honestly, “The Lins are a big family with more than a hundred years of history. We might not be impartial to everything, but we never deny what we’ve done. I wouldn’t deceive you. If the Lins had been involved in the assassination, then I wouldn’t have been here today. In that case, the Lins would absolutely not be trying to warm our relationship with you.”
Lin Changhe’s words were quite firm.
Qin Sheng and Lin Su were both thinking about his words. “The Lins had nothing to do with the assassination? Were the Yans the only ones to blame?”
“Maybe I just had no idea about this. However, I can at least guarantee that my elder brother and I didn’t participate in this. I’ll investigate this after going back home and I’ll give you an answer.” Lin Changhe deeply believed that the Lins would never do such a cruel thing. However, he suspected that Lin Ze might have made some kind of deal with Yan Chaozong. After all, Lin Ze hated Qin Sheng that much and lost his temper easily.
Lin Su and Qin Sheng were shocked as well. Qin Sheng was really suspicious. What was the truth ? Maybe only Yan Chaozong had known. If Qin Sheng got a chance, he would ask Yan Chaozong to figure this out. At least, he should know who his enemies were.
As for Lin Su, she was excited and happy about this news. It turned out that she had misunderstood the Lins. Her family had never tried to kill her boyfriend. Her relationship with the Lins would be much better and her sharp conflict with her family would be over.
“Second Uncle, if you say so, I believe you,” Qin Sheng said thoughtfully.
Lin Changhe smiled helplessly and said, “It doesn’t matter whether you believe me or not. I’ll still give you an answer.”
“Okay then. Why did you want to meet me today, Second Uncle Lin?” Qin Sheng, who felt much better about the Lins now, got straight to the point.
Lin Changhe shook his head and said, “I thought there might be a chance, but now… just forget it.”
Qin Sheng and Lin Su were both confused by his words.