Chapter 352 Go Ahead
It was like Murphy’s law. Qin Sheng hoped he was wrong, but this was exactly what happened.
His father was the unique middle-aged man he had met before in Xiamen. When he met him for the first time, Qin Sheng realized that this man was no small potato. He looked different. He told Qin Sheng that he was from Beijing and was a retired civil servant.
How could Qin Sheng guess that the man was his father?
First, he remembered his father’s photo, taken when he was young, on the wall of the old house. It was kind of similar to the man he had met in Xiamen. His father’s appearance changed with time, but his lineament would not change.
Second, Qin Ran didn’t mention their father after they came back to Beijing. She seemed to be hiding something from him. When they were in the old house, she didn’t tell him about the person in the photo. There had to be something wrong.
Third, Qin Sheng had met Qin Ran for the first time in Xiamen. It was such a coincidence that he also met that middle-aged man in Xiamen.
Three coincidences had to be made by someone deliberately, let alone it had been proved that Qin Ran met him deliberately.
Now, another “coincidence” was proved to be man-made.
Qin Changan went downstairs slowly, looking at Qin Sheng with a smile. Qin Sheng was too astonished to react to what happened. This was as Qin Changan expected. Qin Sheng needed time to accept all the things happening recently.
Qin Changan, however, didn’t go to the side hall directly. At this time, another middle-aged man also went downstairs and said modestly, “Changan, thank you for helping me with this thing. I have no idea what to do next.”
This middle-aged man was a little bit shorter than Qin Changan and had an average figure. He didn’t have the beer belly that other men of his age had. But he was half-bald and with a pale complexion.
Qin Changan patted the man’s shoulder and said, “I’m not sure. You just come back. If I can make it, I’ll call you. If not, don’t blame me, bro.”
“Of course I won’t,” the man said and shook his head. Qin Changan was his final hope. He just wanted to make every possible effort. After all, he was hopeless.
At this moment, the other man also noticed Qin Sheng in the side hall. He realized someone was waiting and said, “Changan, I see that you’re busy. I got to go. See you later.”
“Fine.” Qin Changan nodded then said to Gongsun, who was following behind, “Gongsun, see Lao Liu off for me.”
The man turned back and left soon. His face changed the moment he turned back. Qin Sheng saw how he revealed his murderous look as a superior person.
His two bodyguards followed him to leave, with Gongsun following as well. Qin Changan stood still. He even didn’t intend to show the man out of the hall.
The result was obvious. Qin Changan was not going to get involved in this thing. Adding that this man came without informing him, Qin Changan was quite uncomfortable about this.
Qin Ran went upstairs to fetch something and then came back downstairs. She stood beside Qin Changan and said in a pretend voice to hide her emotions, “Master Qin is really a big shot. Even Uncle Liu has to ask you for help. But I wonder who’s more important to you, your son who had been separated from you for over 20 years, or someone else? You know what day today is. If you don’t like your son, take it easy, I’ll take my younger brother away, and we’ll never disturb your life.”
Qin Ran was very angry when she spoke. She didn’t show any respect to her father, for she thought that Qin Changan had done the wrong thing. She had informed him of Qin Sheng’s arrival last night. Qin Changan had enough time to refuse any arrangements before they arrived at the siheyuan. But how could he spend his time on others and disregard Qin Sheng?
His behavior only showed his underestimation of Qin Sheng. What did Qin Sheng think of this? Did he feel sad? Qin Sheng had grown up without parents. He came to meet his father, but his father was occupied with other business and left him alone there. This was far from enough to be a good father. They had been separated for more than 20 years. In another family, even a separation of half a month would make the father wait for his son at home expectedly.
No matter what Qin Ran said, Qin Changan said nothing to argue and didn’t get angry at all. Qin Changan could take any of Qin Ran’s behavior and speech. In this family, he was just a father, and Qin Ran was his daughter. It was his duty to put up with any of his daughter’s behavior. He always cherished his kinship, especially the tie between his daughter and him.
That was why Qin Changan could put up with Qin Ran like a nice guy who never offended anybody.
He patted Qin Ran’s shoulder and said, “I’ve asked the cook to make your favorite dishes. You just go and have a look. Tell me what else you want to eat. Since your younger brother comes back, I’ll do the cooking for our dinner.”
Qin Ran gave his father a glance and left. She knew that she should give them some time to get along with each other. Qin Sheng had accepted her, but she was not sure if he was prepared to accept Qin Changan.
Qin Ran had left. Now there were only Qin Changan and Qin Sheng in the side hall. Qin Ran told the others not to go in to allow the father and son to have a private conversation.
Qin Sheng was sitting on the sofa. He said nothing and just squinted, staring at Qin Changan. He was calm due to his astonishment.
Qin Changan dressed rather casually at home. He went jogging every morning. If it was a good day, he would jog in the alleys around, greeting the neighbors, and would have breakfast in some old restaurant. If the weather was bad, he would exercise in the gym in the side building.
“Are you surprised?” Qin Changan asked, walking over to Qin Sheng slowly. He looked calm, but actually had a mix of emotions. He knew deeply how to get along with people. He knew how to pretend and how to tell lies. He was used to this. But he had no idea of how to get along with his own son. Qin Sheng was different from Qin Ran, and was his child.
This was how Qin Changan started the conversation. Qin Sheng was surprised by him again. He hesitated for a while and said, “I’m half surprised and half not surprised. I guessed that it might be you, but I hoped I was wrong. I have no idea how to deal with this situation.”
Qin Sheng still couldn’t believe that the middle-aged uncle he had met in Xiamen and his so-called father were the same person. They were totally different kinds of persons. The uncle was as kind and familiar as a neighbor he had known for years. They could chat a lot, from the rule of nature to the principle of interpersonal relationships. But the man in front of him, his father, gave him a sense of distance. Qin Sheng, since he entered this siheyuan, had gotten to know more and more about his father. He was definitely not a kind and friendly common person, but a real big shot pulling the strings behind the scenes.
“Well, this is life. No matter what you’re thinking about, truth is truth. It seems that you’ve already known a lot, and you must have known who I am. You can still treat me like the kind uncle you met before.” Qin Changan was not sure about how to chat with Qin Sheng. Though they were both his children, Qin Sheng was different from Qin Ran. He was the successor of the Qin Family, so Qin Changan had to treat him strictly, rather than the way he treated Qin Ran. Qin Ran was a woman. Qin Changan’s only expectation of her was to lead a simple and happy life, and she need not shoulder any pressure or responsibility.
Qin Sheng sneered and said, “Do you think that’s possible for me?”
Qin Changan had an embarrassed smile and didn’t know how to continue this conversation.
But at this time, Qin Sheng continued to ask, “I had a lot of questions. I’ve asked my sister, but she said she only knows a little. But you must know a lot. That’s why I’m here in Beijing to meet you.”
“You can ask anything you want. But I have one question for you first. How do you want me to treat you, like a real man, or like my son, who was not fully grown up and was not mature enough? If you choose the former one, I’ll tell you the overall truth. But I’m afraid you cannot take it. If you choose the latter, I have my own plan for this,” Qin Changan said honestly. He put forward this question to give Qin Sheng another test. He had to be cruel to his own son.
Qin Changan’s words were challenging Qin Sheng, so of course he would not choose the former one to give in. He answered without hesitation, “Of course, I’m a real man.”
“Then, go ahead. Ask anything you’re curious about,” Qin Changan said and shook his head, smiling. Even though most truths were cruel, a mass of people preferred knowing the truth, rather than being cheated by the lie, which made people feel happier and more relaxed.
Qin Sheng had a list of questions on his mind. He was eager to know the truth. This was really important to him.