Qin Sheng had been thinking about the possible difficulties. First of all, it would be from those people who managed to ruin the Lin Family. He was filing for an appeal to Uncle Lin’s sentence, so of course his enemies would react immediately and do as much as they could. Then, some difficulties from the Authorities would definitely arise. Despite Qin Changan’s powerful resources, Qin Sheng was confronting the whole system of public security, prosecution and justice. He was doing impossible things.
This was the case, even though the leading people among Uncle Lin’s enemies were in prison and so were some of his underlings. Qin Sheng still had a lot of potential rivals around. Since he was asking for an appeal, somebody had to take responsibility for the unjust ruling, which would make that person lose everything. That was why Qin Sheng’s rivals would be extremely fierce.
Qin Sheng arrived at Wang Li and Xin Xin’s place at lunch time. They had prepared a great feast for him. All the dishes were Qin Sheng’s favorites. They got up quite early in the morning; they went to the supermarket and spent the whole morning preparing the feast. It was a bit late, but they finally celebrated the Spring Festival with Qin Sheng.
Once the doorbell rang, Auntie Wang and Xin Xin both dropped what they were busy with and rushed to the doorway. Xin Xin had been sending WeChat messages to Qin Sheng, asking where he was. Qin Sheng replied to her the moment he reached the housing estate.
The door opened. Qin Sheng smiled and said hello to them. Auntie Wang received Qin Sheng’s gifts and said, “Don’t bring so many gifts next time. We just want to see you.”
Qin Sheng only answered with a smile. He specially selected those gifts from the Qin Family’s siheyuan for Auntie Wang.
Xin Xin gave Qin Sheng a big hug and said, “Brother, I missed you so much!”
“Huh, it hasn’t been too long since we last met,” Qin Sheng said deliberately. Xin Xin pursed her mouth and held up her fist, pretending that she was offended. Actually, when Qin Sheng was in Shanghai, Xin Xin was also there in her university. But Qin Sheng was too busy to see her.
Qin Sheng felt so good since he was at the Lins’ place. Apart from the old cabin where he lived with his grandfather, Qin Sheng had strong feelings about this place. He felt much better there than when he was at the Qin Family’s siheyuan, a place filled with pressure.
Qin Sheng didn’t eat breakfast and he didn’t eat the food provided on the plane, either. This was because he knew Auntie Wang would definitely prepare a large feast for him at lunch time, and he wanted to prepare his stomach for such an occasion. He was starving at the moment. Qin Sheng changed his shoes and went directly to the dining room to grab something to eat.
Auntie Wang put the gifts away and followed Qin Sheng. She patted his arm and said, “Are you a kid? Go wash your hands. We were waiting you for so long.”
Since Old Master Qin passed away, Wang Li had only seen Qin Sheng a few times in the previous years. The gatherings were always short and Qin Sheng often disappeared without telling anyone. She had not spent a lot of time with Qin Sheng. But anyway, she had seen him grow from child to adult. Qin Sheng was just like her real son. She wanted to spend more time with him every time she saw him. But Qin Sheng was too busy, and he had already found his own families. Sometimes Wang Li thought about this and felt upset.
Qin Sheng was gobbling, regardless of anything and anybody. Wang Li and Xin Xin were used to this. They asked Qin Sheng to change, but failed. Wang Li and Xin Xin were also eating, but in a normal and slow manner. Most of the time they just stared at Qin Sheng or passed some dish over to him.
When Qin Sheng was full, he finally said, “Xin Xin, what about your exam preparations for your Master’s degree? Work hard and enter either the Tsinghua University or the Peking University. If you get a good score in the exam, I will help you with the interview. I live in Beijing, so I can take good care of you there.”
With the power of the Qin Family, it would be easy for Qin Sheng to do anything in that country. Xin Xin was outstanding and there was no problem for her to find a job. But he absolutely hoped that she could have a more promising future.
Xin Xin whispered, “Brother, I don’t want to study further. I’d like to come back to live in Xi’an, to take care of my Mom. And if Dad is released one day, I wish to have more time to spend with him.”
Wang Li was not happy about her choice, though. “Nonsense. Listen to your Brother Qin, and prepare for the postgraduate exam. Or else, you won’t find a jobs, or a husband for that matter! You Dad and I are still young. We don’t need you here.”
Qin Sheng giggled and said, “Xin Xin, you don’t have to worry that much. Just work hard on your studies. I will take your parents to Beijing if you enter the Master’s degree program.”
“Really?” Xin Xin was excited about Qin Sheng’s promise.
Qin Sheng smiled and said, “I would never trick you.”
“Fine! I’ll work hard on the exam. Trust me, Brother. I will definitely go to Beijing. Then, my parents, you and I, our small family, will get together in Beijing.” Xin Xin imagined the picture of the promising and happy future, expectant.
After that, Qin Sheng brought forward the most important topic of the day. “Auntie, does Uncle Lin know? The National Supreme Judicial Court has started to work, and the Provincial Supreme Judicial Court is preparing for the proceedings. I’ll take you to Court and hand in the relative materials tomorrow. My lawyer and his team will arrive in Xi’an tomorrow morning. He is one of the most famous lawyers in Beijing. He’s quite good at this kind of cases. I contacted him recently, and he is confident about the case.”
Wang Li was quite relieved after hearing the news Qin Sheng had brought. She said, “I went to see him a few times after you left. I told him about the progress made on the case. The Provincial Supreme Judicial Court also contacted us. Anyway, he wants to see you. And… the lawyer, I mean, is that expensive?”
Wang Li was not a simple-minded middle-aged woman. When the Lin Family was in its period of great prosperity, she experienced all kinds of ups and downs. She used to be engaged in a lawsuit for the Lin Family, and had paid quite a lot of money for the lawyer.
Qin Sheng comforted her and said, “Auntie, don’t worry. I’ll handle this. Just focus on the case itself. Money is not a big deal for me now.”
Wang Li wanted to say something else, but decided not to in the end. She knew that Qin Sheng would definitely insist. She also knew that Qin Sheng had become a different person. His own family, the Qin Family, was without a doubt an extremely powerful and rich; otherwise, Qin Sheng wouldn’t have been able to help with this case through the National Supreme Judicial Court.
After lunch, Qin Sheng chatted away with Auntie Wang and Xin Xin for a while before Chang Baji drove by. He took all of them to visit Uncle Lin.
Qin Sheng contacted the Xi’an branch of the Qin Family’s company and two cars were sent to be at the ready. Qin Sheng would use one car, and ask others to drive the other car to do errands for him.
Qin Sheng finally met Uncle Lin, finding that he looked much better than the last time. Maybe it was because he was in a good mood in recent days. Qin Changan had asked some prison officers to give Uncle Lin extra care so that he wouldn’t need to do heavy work and to prevent that others bullied him while in prison.
“Uncle Lin, I haven’t seen you for a long time. You won’t blame me for that, would you?” Qin Sheng thought about all the years his Uncle Lin had endured behind bars; his emotions were stirred by this.
Lin Xi was really happy since Qin Sheng and Xin Xin went to see him. He giggled and said, “You must be joking. You’re a grown-up now. Mind your own business. I wish nothing but a promising future for you.”
Qin Sheng, however, got to the point directly. “Uncle Lin, Auntie Wang has already told you, right? I’ll bring the lawyer here the day after tomorrow. You can tell him more details about your case.”
Lin Xi frowned and said, “Sheng’er, I have my own plan. I’m too old. It won’t take long time for me to get out of here. You don’t have to bother about this.”
“Uncle Lin, it’s not a bother. You don’t have to worry about me.” Qin Sheng shook his head.
Lin Xi thought for a while and said, “I’m afraid you’ll get into trouble. I know THAT person is in prison now. But his underlings are still there. They would do anything to stop you, and you’ll be in danger. I will feel guilty for the rest of my life if any of you gets into a life-threatening situation because of me.”
Qin Sheng had thought about this before. He didn’t regret his choice. However, he began to make adjustments to the plan once he arrived in Xi’an, to be ready if too many unexpected troubles arise.
Uncle Lin’s words made Qin Sheng feel even more sympathetic and hurt. He owed too much to this elderly man, who was more worried about him than about himself.
To make Uncle Lin feel at ease, Qin Sheng said, “Uncle Lin, I won’t take risks without being prepared. Auntie Wang should have already told you that I’ve found my own families.”
Lin Xi just remembered this. “I almost forgot. She did tell me about it. I didn’t expect that you would be able to find them, especially after your grandfather died.”
Qin Sheng sighed and said, “Yes. My life is full of miracles. I didn’t expect that, either. Uncle Lin, did Auntie Wang tell you any details about my family and relatives?”
Lin Xi frowned and said, “More or less, but not very clearly. I only know that they all live in Beijing. She said she met your elder sister before.”
Qin Sheng continued, “Uncle Lin, you must at least heard of my father once. That’s why I’m pretty sure that I can help you now.”
Lin Xi was surprised. “Your father?”
“Yes.” Qin Sheng nodded.
Lin Xi asked, “So, he is…”
Qin Sheng answered, “Qin Changan, from the Changan Group.”
Qin Sheng didn’t hesitate and simply gave the answer. Qin Sheng had some conflicts with his father, but he had to recognize that he was definitely a giant in China’s capital market.
Lin Xi was shocked by the name and the fact. He remained still for quite a while and then said with a voice full of disbelief, “Did you just say, that the Changan Group’s Qin Changan… is your father?”
“Yes, Uncle Lin. I’ll never lie to you about this. Thanks to his help, your case will surely be overturned,” Qin Sheng said.
Lin Xi drowned himself in deep thoughts again. He still felt that the news were unreal. The giant of China’s capital market was Qin Sheng’s father. How was that possible?
Lin Xi, being an experienced business man, he knew exactly what this name meant…