Qin Sheng didn’t imagine that he would encounter Song Ruyu at his grandmother’s place once he arrived in Shanghai, and that his grandmother and sister would give him such an embarrassing task. He had quite a good impression of her, but they had only met once before and were not familiar with each other.
Qin Sheng understood his grandmother, who was obviously fond of Song Ruyu and wanted him to do nothing more than take care of her. But what about his sister? She knew that Lin Su was here. What did she mean by asking him to accompany Song Ruyu?
Qin Sheng thought that Song Ruyu would refuse politely, but she didn’t, which made him quite confused.
Qin Sheng was totally at a loss.
The old lady then asked about Qin Sheng’s trip to Ningbo. Qin Sheng had rehearsed his explanation in his mind before. He chatted a few words with his grandmother until it was time for her to have the noon nap. Before leaving, the old lady asked Qin Ran and Qin Sheng to entertain their guest properly.
Their grandmother had no idea of the engagement between the Qin Family and the Song Family, and the family’s wish to make them a couple. Since their grandmother knew that Qin Sheng had a girlfriend, Qin Ran was trying to hide that in case their grandmother would reveal this to Song Ruyu, and it would be troublesome. And she felt relieved that Lin Su didn’t come along this time. Once Lin Su and Song Ruyu knew each other, the Qin Family couldn’t take any more benefits from the Song Family. Song Ruyu, after all, was not the kind of woman who would put up with him already having a girlfriend.
Qin Ran did so for the benefit of the Qin Family, who really needed the help of the Song Family. She liked both Song Ruyu and Lin Su, both excellent and elegant ladies. She wanted to leave it up to Qin Sheng to make a choice, without being influenced by what would benefit the family, and Song Ruyu and Lin Su could be equal in this competition. It was no more than a sister caring about her younger brother who hoped that her brother would find the most suitable wife.
Qin Ran didn’t linger for a long time after their grandmother went upstairs, leaving Song Ruyu and Qin Sheng alone. Before she left, she said, “Ruyu, I have something to settle in my company, so I gotta go. I’ll invite you for lunch or dinner after I take care of those things. You just have some chats with Qin Sheng. I believe that you two must have a lot of topics to discuss.”
Qin Sheng’s eyes grew wide due to Qin Ran’s words, and he questioned his sister with his eyes silently: “Sister, it’s just our second time meeting, what topics do we have to discuss?”
Qin Ran, however, ignored Qin Sheng’s questioning eyes and even quipped, “Qin Sheng, take good care of Ruyu, don’t bully her with your street smarts.”
After this, Qin Ran beamed at Song Ruyu and then got up and left. Qin Sheng saw his sister off to the front door and asked, “Sister, what do you mean by saying that? I’ll be in great trouble if Lin Su finds out about this.”
Qin Ran patted Qin Sheng’s shoulder and said, “My dear brother, you’re really lucky, you know? I’m doing something good for you and our family. Think about it. As for Lin Su, she’s not suspicious. You and Ruyu are nothing more than friends, right? And the Song Family is friends with the Qin Family. You just show her around, it’s all good.”
Qin Ran made her expressions vague deliberately, and Qin Sheng didn’t quite understand. He thought no more than it was an action to build good friendship between the two families, especially between their younger generation, by which he was inheriting Qin Changan’s resources somehow.
While Qin Sheng was thinking with a frown, Qin Ran got in the car and left. Qin Sheng forced a smile and thought, “Maybe I’m just thinking too much.”
When Qin Sheng went back to the living room, Song Ruyu was peering at the decorations there; some collections of antiques that the old lady had inherited from her maiden family. The old lady had never touched those antiques since her elder brother passed away, for fear of triggering her memory. Her elder brother always liked to collect special things, which seemed to be common among the elderly, especially rich ones.
“Ruyu, do you have anywhere that you want to go? If not, you can just come with me,” Qin Sheng said while approaching her, then he suddenly realized that he had just called her by her first name, which sounded quite intimate.
But Ruyu accepted him calling her by her first name very naturally. She turned back to him and put on a smile. “I know you might have a different idea of showing me around. I just didn’t want to upset your grandmother and sister.”
Song Ruyu was a very thoughtful person, with a very comfortable way of speaking. Rather than making it direct by saying she preferred to go around alone, she made a proper explanation so that Qin Sheng would have another opportunity to choose without the influence of his family.
Qin Sheng got it immediately, and said, “I’m willing to accompany you, indeed. But I’m afraid that you won’t like that and it might embarrass you. We just met for the second time and we’re not familiar with each other, right?”
“Oh? You’re sure?” Song Ruyu quipped.
Qin Sheng said in a firm tone, “Of course.”
Song Ruyu wandered over to him and offered an attractive smile. “Then, I’m going to take up your time to go around the city.”
Song Ruyu wanted to know more about Qin Sheng. Qin Ran wanted Song Ruyu and Qin Sheng to have a date. Qin Sheng wanted to make friends with Song Ruyu for the benefit of his family. Though they had different purposes, the situation now satisfied everyone.
Song Ruyu didn’t stay there for long. She exchanged cell numbers with Qin Sheng and told him that she would call him after handling her own business. Before leaving, she asked Qin Sheng to inform his grandmother about her taking her leave.
Qin Sheng stayed there and called Lin Su, informing her that he would pick her up at 6 o’clock and drive her to have dinner with his family. Though Qin Sheng’s voice was quite casual, Lin Su became tense and asked for more details about his family. She wanted to be prepared, since this was her first meeting with Qin Sheng’s family. Qin Sheng told her that apart from Qin Ran, she would meet his small aunt, two cousins, and an old friend of his, Xue Qingyan, and she didn’t have to be so nervous.
Lin Su had met Qin Ran and Xue Qingyan before. But she was tense due to his small aunt, who was from the senior generation of the family. Lin Su was afraid that she might fail to make a good impression and was worried about there being more barriers in their relationship.
Once Lin Su hung up, she began to pick out a dress for dinner. She tried one after another, but still didn’t make a final choice. The tense feelings were making her silly temporarily.
Finally, Lin Su couldn’t help calling her good friends Tan Jing and Song Chu, who were also in Shanghai, asking them to come and give her advice. Or maybe she should buy some new clothes. She was not far from the shopping mall of the Shanghai International Finance Center.
Though Qin Sheng had left Ningbo, things there didn’t come to an end. The conflict between Lin Songhao and the Lin Family was so influential that most people in the circle must have heard of something.
The first one that got the information was always Yan Chaozong, even though he was in Shanghai. But he didn’t know that Qin Sheng and Lin Su were now living in the Shimao Riviera Garden, which was really not far from him.
“What update can you give me? What happened to the Lin Family? And what about Lin Songhao? Any connections?” Yan Chaozong asked Feng He, sitting in his office.
Feng He hesitated a bit. “Young Master, it’s him, he’s back.”
“Who?” Yan Chaozong didn’t understand.
“Qin Sheng,” Feng He answered, and squinted.
Yan Chaozong’s face turned to stone the moment he heard the familiar name. He rose, walked over to Feng He, and asked in an incredulous tone, “You mean, Qin Sheng did all those things to the Lin Family and Lin Songhao?”
Feng He nodded and said, “Mmm, I spent a great deal of money for this information from the bodyguards and domestics of the Lin Family and also met with Lin Songhao’s wife. It’s Qin Sheng, indeed. Qin Sheng is in Ningbo these days. He did those things and took Lin Su away from the Lin Family.”
Yan Chaozong was shocked and confused. “How is that possible? Lin Songhao was someone in Ningbo. How could Qin Sheng jolt Lin Songhao? What was he relying on? What was the big force behind him? Qin Sheng had nothing before, and had been abandoned by the Lin Family, even had been driven away from Hangzhou by them and other forces. Qin Sheng had been gone for quite a while.”
“It required incredible power to beat the Lin Family, which was totally different from that of Lin Songhao. How did Qin Sheng do it? It was only three months after he left Hangzhou. What made him such a different person?”
“That is… impossible…” Yan Chaozong murmured, not understanding it.
Feng He said, “Young Master, I didn’t believe that when I heard it either, but it’s the truth anyway. Qin Sheng had gone to the Lin Family twice. The first time, he took Lin Su away and got into great trouble with the Lin Family. Lin Songhao was helping the Lins, but was beaten bitterly by Qin Sheng. And on that very night, Lin Songhao asked his people to assassinate Qin Sheng, but failed. Then Lin Songhao was targeted, with his whole force being eliminated. Two days after, the Lin Family was attacked by a series of incidents. Qin Sheng took Lin Su back to the Lin Family in the morning. I have no idea of what they talked about, but they left Ningbo together then.”
Feng He had pried into as much information as he could. Others would never get to know the details. Yan Chaozong’s face fell due to Feng He’s report. Qin Sheng was back and fully prepared. But Yan Chaozong was so confused about what had given Qin Sheng such power and resources.
Anyway, Qin Sheng was back, with the Lin Family as his first target, and Yan Chaozong the second absolutely. Yan Chaozong had to do some preparation for the war between himself and Qin Sheng. Now he had to figure out the whereabouts and the background of his old foe.
“Feng He, do what you can do to find out Qin Sheng’s whereabouts and the details of what happened in Ningbo, regardless of the cost and resources. I have to know all the details. Is that understood?” Yan Chaozong said with a deep voice.
Feng He answered, “Please trust me, Young Master, I’ll do my best.”
After Feng He left, Yan Chaozong squinted his eyes, thinking, “Qin Sheng, no matter what tricks you’re playing, I have let go of you twice, and there will never be a third time. You’re on your way to your grave.”
Qin Sheng had become a terrible pending issue in Yan Chaozong’s mind. He would pay any price as long as Qin Sheng could be killed. But he didn’t know that Qin Sheng was a different person now. Yan Chaozong has used up his good luck, while Qin Sheng just began to enjoy it.