Since Qin Sheng went to Xi’an with his grandfather, his life had been smooth with few ups and downs. After that, he spent several years in the university in Shanghai when he was blessed with peace and happiness.
However, troubles came one after another since his grandfather passed away. He traveled around for a few years and then spent another two years ending things in Shanghai and starting in Beijing, during which time he had been struggling to fight against enemies from all directions. Those bad memories were always there in his mind.
At the present time, Qin Sheng finally grew to be strong enough to confront any enemies and would no longer give in to any of them. Things like kowtowing and begging to apologize to Yan Chaozong would never happen again. For what happened today, if Qin Ran didn’t interfere and solve the problem once and for all, or if the trouble maker didn’t give in so easily, Qin Sheng wouldn’t have let it go.
As for Uncle Lin, Qin Sheng was confident about his things since Qin Changan said to him that he didn’t need to worry.
So at this very moment, Qin Sheng was confident to guarantee Auntie Wang and Xin Xin that he could handle everything. He remembered Uncle Lin’s story—some of his staff and a certain high-level official in the government conspired to ruin his company, making him bankrupt and sending him to prison. Without an old friend’s help, Uncle Lin would have lost everything and died.
Now, Qin Sheng resolved to take revenge for the Lin Family.
No matter what made Qin Sheng say that he would guarantee them, Auntie Wang and Xin Xin were moved by his kindness. But since they had no idea of the power behind Qin Sheng, they worried that Qin Sheng would be in trouble. They still remembered the catastrophe from a few years ago and were afraid that Qin Sheng would offend some government officials.
Auntie Wang tried to calm Qin Sheng down and said, “Sheng, let bygones be bygones. I know, you want to help Uncle Lin, but we can’t afford to offend those people. What we’re going to do now is wait, OK?”
“Brother Qin, she’s right. Don’t make any more trouble. I know you’re eager to help, but you’ve experienced too much, and we only want you to be safe,” Xin Xin said. They had been concerned about Qin Sheng’s safety all the time. The last words they wanted to hear were about his death.
Understanding their worry, Qin Sheng felt even more regret over being incapable in the past. He forced a smile to hide his feelings and said, “Auntie, Xin Xin, trust me. I’ve become a different person. I’m able to protect you from anything and anybody now.”
Qin Ran heard Auntie Wang’s and Xin Xin’s words, knowing that they really cared about her brother. She also knew that the Qin Family had to do something to help.
So Qin Ran thought she had to say something to show her attitude. “Auntie Wang, Xin Xin, Qin Sheng’s right. Uncle Lin needs some help. I don’t mean to show off, but those people are only powerful in Xi’an, and we Qin Family are not afraid. The big shot behind them is in prison now, so it’s a good time to give them a strike. Moreover, we get along well with the one governing Shaanxi Province, and one of my uncles has kinship with the one governing Xi’an City. It’s not hard for us to do something to help. If they go to Beijing to ask any powerful big shots for help, I can tell that nobody is willing to offend the Qin Family for such things. And I dare say that they are not capable enough to contact any powerful big shots in Beijing.”
Qin Ran was speaking in consideration of the whole Qin Family rather than herself. Her words proved that Qin Sheng’s confidence didn’t come from nowhere. She was making Auntie Wang and Xin Xin believe that the Qin Family was powerful enough to protect the Lin Family. Qin Ran’s guarantee showed them the mysterious and powerful background of Qin Sheng’s family. Obviously, they were shocked by what they heard.
Qin Ran didn’t aggrandize. The one governing Shaanxi Province graduated from Qinghua University, while the Qin Family had maintained a good relationship with its university council. The one governing the Xi’an City was from Zhejiang Province. Apart from Qin Family’s relationships in Zhejiang, Qin Ran’s uncle, who was strong in the government, was from Zhejiang. And the brother of Ms. Cheongsam, Qin Sheng’s good friend, was also from Zhejiang.
Qin Sheng continued by saying, “Auntie, Xin Xin, just believe my sister. The Qin Family is able to handle Uncle Lin’s trouble. You don’t have to worry. I’ll talk about this with you after the Spring Festival. I’m asking you to tell Uncle Lin about this. I can’t go to meet him this time, and I hope he won’t feel sad about this.”
Auntie Wang and Xin Xin were both too excited to speak anymore, and they even burst out crying due to their extreme happiness. They never expected Qin Sheng’s family to be so powerful. The great trouble, which might have taken another 10 years to solve, finally turned out right.
Qin Sheng held Auntie Wang’s and Xin Xin’s hands and said with sad feelings, “Auntie, Xin Xin, please don’t cry at the Spring Festival. You’re making me feel bad.”
Auntie Wang wiped her tears and smiled. “OK, I won’t cry. I’m too happy. Well, did you have dinner?”
“Auntie, my sister and I even skipped lunch,” Qin Sheng said with an exaggerated sad face. He was really hungry now, and he never pretended or hid in front of Auntie Wang. He was still fine, but he was afraid that his sister was not. They planned to clean the tomb of his grandfather and go back downtown for lunch and meet Auntie Wang then. He didn’t plan to go to the village, which took too much time.
Auntie Wang said, “You even didn’t have lunch? You should have told me. I’ll cook something for you. The food will be ready soon. Wait a minute.”
Qin Ran didn’t want to bother them, but Auntie Wang persisted and led Xin Xin to the kitchen. There were so many good things today that they were mad with joy.
Seeing Auntie Wang and Xin Xin leaving, Qin Ran didn’t follow to help, but said, “I can tell that they really treat you as family. I was worried about your situation in the Lin Family, but now I’m not.”
Qin Sheng knew what his sister meant. The reason why he insisted on coming to meet them was that he wanted to make sure of something. So he said with teasing, “Sis, are you jealous?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I said no,” Qin Ran said with a gentle voice. Qin Ran showed a distant poker face to others, but she was a real and mild person in front of him.
Qin Sheng was satisfied, so he stood up and said, “Fine, Sis. You’re the closest person to me from now on. Don’t be jealous anymore. Let’s go. I’ll show you my room. It’s filled with my childhood memories.”
Qin Ran heard this, feeling content, and followed Qin Sheng to the inside room.
When Auntie Wang and Xin Xin were cooking in the kitchen, Qin Sheng and his sister stayed in his bedroom. He told her a lot about his teenage days, laughing happily. Since most of the food was already prepared, dinner was ready soon.
When having dinner, Qin Sheng laughed like an innocent child and said, “Auntie, you’re the best cook in the world. I must pig out today.”
Auntie Wang laughed and said, “Don’t lie to me.”
Qin Ran thought about something for a while then said, “Auntie Wang, Xin Xin, if you’re willing to, you can come to Beijing with us for this Spring Festival.”
Xin Xin showed an expectant face after hearing Qin Ran’s words. She aspired to celebrate the Spring Festival with Qin Sheng. But she couldn’t give the answer herself and had to follow her mother.
Auntie Wang smiled and refused politely. “Thank you, but maybe next time. I’ve prepared a lot of food here, and I don’t want to waste it. If we get a chance, my husband, daughter, and I will go to Beijing to see you.”
Qin Sheng soon got what she meant. Auntie Wang didn’t want to leave Uncle Lin alone in Xi’an during the Spring Festival. Though they couldn’t get together, at least the three of them could be in the same city, and their hearts and spirits were together at home.
After dinner, Qin Ran, Auntie Wang, and Xin Xin chatted in the sitting room. Auntie Wang eagerly invited Qin Ran to stay overnight in their home. She and Xin Xin could sleep in the master bedroom and Qin Ran could sleep in Xin Xin’s room. But Qin Ran refused politely since she wasn’t used to staying in others’ homes. When she couldn’t stay at home, apart from her relatives’ home, she only stayed in hotels. It was only about a 10-minute walk to the nearest hotel, the Hyatt.
Qin Sheng called Xin Xin over to him and asked softly, “Xin Xin, do you know if your Brother Lei has been back to Xi’an?”
Xin Xin was surprised and said, “You didn’t contact him?”
“Not yet. Only you know I’m in Xi’an. Nobody else knows. Even Lin Su doesn’t know.” Qin Sheng told her the truth.
Xin Xin said, “Ah… Brother Lei has been in Xi’an for a while. But I heard that he is not good. He drinks a lot…”
Qin Sheng frowned. He thought about what had happened in Hangzhou and the truth of Huang Mei Town, which Lao Chang had told him.
“Give me Brother Lei’s cell number. I’m calling him,” Qin Sheng said, feeling worried.
Xin Xin took out her cell and showed him the number. She asked, “Bro, what about you and Sister Lin? Why don’t you contact Sister Lin? She must be worried about you.”
Qin Sheng squinted and locked his jaw. He said, “I’ve contacted her, telling her that everything’s fine. But she had no idea about what happened to me recently. I’ll go to Ningbo to meet her after the Spring Festival. This time, the Lin Family cannot stop me.”
Xin Xin didn’t know about Qin Sheng’s emotions and his promise to Lin Su. The only thing she knew was being with Qin Sheng and supporting him.
Qin Sheng saved Hao Lei’s number and went to the balcony. He thought for a while then dialed the number. When Hao Lei picked up the phone and said, “Hello?” impatiently, Qin Sheng heard some noise from the phone.
Qin Sheng recalled a lot of things and said, “Hey, bro, I’m back.”
Hao Lei, who was playing mahjong with his friends, heard the familiar voice and unconsciously dropped his phone to the ground. After a while, he suddenly burst out laughing.