Lin Xi still remembered the scene where he encountered Old Master Qin at the Louguantai Temple. His business was going through difficult times, with troubles coming one after another. He was in a very bad mood so he went to the Louguantai Temple to burn incense, begging for good luck. Lin Xi went there since it was a Taoist temple. Although most Chinese professed Buddhism, he resorted to Taoism. Because Buddhism came from a foreign country while Taoism was a real Chinese religion.
At that time, the Louguantai Temple was almost in ruins. Unlike its prosperous state with tourists coming in droves, the main hall had remained unattended for a long time in those days. But those “ruins” were indeed like a holy land of Taoism, with a god and a goddess concealed somewhere in the mountain. It turned into a tourist attraction in recent days. Most Taoists moved to the Zhongnan Mountains.
After burning the incense, Lin Xi met two elderly men who were playing chess in a kiosk. He noticed that one of them was a Taoist of the Louguantai Temple, but he didn’t know that it was Taoist Ren at the time, the president of the Association of Taoism in two consecutive years. He was more interested in the other elderly person. Taoist Ren was treating him in a very polite manner. They played three rounds of chess, and Lin Xi had been watching them until they left. The other elderly man won two rounds.
A true gentleman would remain silent while watching a chess game. For that reason, Lin Xi just watched and didn’t say a word. He knew the audience rules and was not in the mood to make any comments. The two elderly men also ignored him.
When Lin Xi was about to leave, the elderly man who had just won said, “Young man, your good luck is coming. Why are you so upset?”
Lin Xi didn’t believe that, though. He almost felt like a cornered animal. What did he mean by “good luck”? Lin Xi sighed and said, “Sir, I’ve been suffering a lot these days. It might be enduring the most difficult period of my entire lifetime. That’s why I came to the Louguantai Temple. You said that my good luck was coming. Then, where is it? Please explain that for me.”
Then, the other elderly man, or Old Master Qin chatted briefly with Lin Xi, a young passerby. He asked the young man about his difficulties and answered his every question. Finally, Lin Xi’s outlook on life was enlightened all of a sudden. He almost saw the rainbow that would come after the current storm.
Lin Xi was very grateful. “Sir, you are my good luck. I know what to do now. Thank you very much. But I don’t know how I can pay this back.”
Old Master Qin smiled and said, “It’s quite a coincidence to have met here. Maybe, could I trouble you with something so that this encounter brings us a mutual benefit?”
“Please say it. I’ll do as much as I can to help.” Lin Xi didn’t hesitate a bit.
Then, Old Master Qin told Lin Xi his own story—how he took his grandson to travel around China, and finally deciding to settle down in the Zhongnan Mountains; but his grandson was a preschooler and he had to ask someone to adopt him and raise him.
Maybe it was their destiny to meet and to help each other. Lin Xi said yes before Old Master Qin told him more details. And this was how the story began and went on until then. In the beginning, Wang Li didn’t accept that arrangement and thought her husband was completely crazy. But Lin Xi was a stubborn person who would always insist on his own choices.
Qin Sheng then moved to live with the Lin Family. Gradually, both Lin Xi and Wang Li grew fond of Qin Sheng. They had a daughter and considered Qin Sheng as their real son. Old Master Qin never paid the Lin Family, but Lin Xi didn’t care about that. He covered all of Qin Sheng’s expenses and even treated him better than his own daughter.
Just then, however, Lin Xi realized that the mutual benefit Old Master Qin had talked about continued to that day. Without Old Master Qin, he wouldn’t have the clarity of mind to take care of his great troubles from those days, and nobody would offer him help at the moment. Lin Xi knew what this meant. This mutual benefit may have been the most important decision made in his life, and his main source of luck. He was happy for not having refused Old Master Qin.
Lin Xi murmured, “It’s really unexpected.”
Xin Xin had no idea of who Qin Changan was. She didn’t care about those big shots who appeared in the news. But she had a management major, and knew a lot about the Changan Group and its position in China. The Changan Group provided endless incredible business case examples in her class.
Qin Sheng smiled with relief. “I never imagined this, either. So, you can trust me now, right? My father is quite busy these days. He would have come to settle your case by himself. Before I came, he told me that he would be waiting for you to join him for dinner in Beijing.”
Lin Xi didn’t know how to response all of this. He wasn’t even sure how to he could address THAT man. That man stood at an incredibly lofty height. Of course he knew what was behind the Changan Group and what was behind Qin Sheng at the moment.
Lin Xi thought for a while and said, “Sheng’er, do you remember that when your grandfather was still alive, I used to meet him to ask him to read my fortune? Back then, he told me that I would run into some big catastrophe, but he also told me not to give up. All I would need to do was to wait until the storm passed. Now I know what he meant.”
Qin Sheng was surprised. He didn’t expect that his grandfather was a fortune teller. This was beyond science and Qin Sheng didn’t believe in those things before. But, this was something done by his grandfather, a person he would trust regardless of any reasons. Old Master Qin was such a legendary hero, a person that could make anything happened.
They didn’t talk anymore. Lin Xi was not going to tell Qin Sheng more stories about his grandfather. Qin Sheng sensed that he had just begun to unravel the mysterious veil surrounding his grandfather, and he believed that he would come to hear more tremendous stories in the future.
Qin Sheng had visited his grandfather’s tomb before the Spring Festival. But he didn’t stay there for long. He thought about his grandfather, and thought about visiting his tomb the following day. He had a lot to say to his father, even though he could only speak to a tombstone. But Qin Sheng believed that his grandfather could see him and listen to him from Heaven. He was the closest person to his grandfather, his spirit must still care about him.
It was at dusk when Qin Sheng and Xin Xin returned from the prison where Lin Xi was located. He drove Xin Xin home and then turned to a Japanese restaurant at the Qujiang New District. His sister told him that the lawyer preferred Japanese food, so he asked Hao Lei to book a table for them. Qujiang New District was the rich place in Xi’an, where countless ritzy restaurants were located.
Qin Sheng brought a couple of suits to Xi’an since he was going to meet some important people. They had been prepared by Lin Su when they were in Shanghai. She was afraid that while in Beijing and nobody would do this for him. Since he was representing the Qin Family, Qin Sheng should always be properly dressed.
This Japanese restaurant had a beautiful name: Sanskrit. It was located in the Furongxintiandi Shopping Mall, not far from the Jindi Furong Shijia. Qin Sheng changed into a formal suit. Chang Baji and Hao Lei had been waiting for him outside.
Wang Li and Xin Xin saw Qin Sheng in formal suit for the first time. They weren’t used to this look, since he usually wore very casual garments. With a formal suit, Qin Sheng looked like a successful business elite. Thanks to the good genes from the Qin Family, he also had a good-looking face.
“Brother, are you meeting a lawyer? Or are you going to a blind date?” Xin Xin teased him. Qin Sheng looked like a fashion model.
Qin Sheng giggled and replied, “I don’t need any blind dates. Endless beautiful girls are chasing me.”
Xin Xin rolled her eyes and said, “Humph, I still remembered the days when you were going after Su Qin. Those love letters you wrote, the music you played with the guitar, and your promise to rank first in the exam. Hmmm.”
Su Qin told her those old stories about Qin Sheng. Even though Qin Sheng and Su Qin had broken up, Su Qin still saw Xin Xin like a younger sister. This happened all the time to Qin Sheng. Han Bing, his other ex, was still a good friend of Xin Xin’s.
Qin Sheng didn’t say a word then. He felt weird when he heard the name. He was not going to meet Su Qin anymore. It would be good for both of them to forget about each other.
Qin Sheng sat at a quiet corner in the Japanese restaurant while he waited for the man who was legendary in Xi’an. Qin Sheng didn’t like this kind of delicate restaurant, which was more suitable for dating, rather than meeting up with a friend. He preferred the roadside food stalls. But he had quite a different view of life, and he still had no idea about the man he was meeting for the first time.
Qin Sheng have to wait for long. He was also in formal suit, showing that he thought highly of the day’s meeting.
When that man approached, Qin Sheng rose slowly and smiled. “Brother Liu, we finally meet.”
“Qin Sheng, nice to meet you. Did I keep you waiting for long?” Brother Liu shook Qin Sheng’s hand and smiled. “It’s very nice of you to arrange our meeting here. Ran Ran must have told you that I like Japanese food.”
Qin Sheng beamed. “That is correct.”
“This restaurant is quite good. The owner is my friend. I come here with other friends a lot. But I prefer to do it myself. If you have time later, please feel free to come to my place. I can cook a meal for you.” Brother Liu was natural and unabashed while he spoke to him, even though they had just met.
Qin Sheng said, “That’ll be nice.”
Brother Liu was familiar with the place, so Qin Sheng asked him to take the order. Brother Liu ordered some dishes and two bottles of sake. Alcohol made businessmen’s talks go smoothly. Their positions were very subtle. Being the successor of the Qin Family, Qin Sheng should speak louder than Brother Liu. Since he was asking Brother Liu for help, he had to lower his voice a bit to show his sincerity.
Brother Liu used to be Qin Ran’s classmate, but in time he had become one of the most important business partners of the Qin Family in Xi’an. He was close to the Qin Family, while Liu himself also came from a big family who had some connections in the government.
At the begging of the talk, they chatted away for a while until Qin Sheng smiled and held up the glass, saying, “Brother Liu, thank you for helping me last time. Cheers!”
Brother Liu thought and said, “Not a big deal. Don’t mention it. If you and your sister get into any trouble, Master Qin would have definitely scolded me a lot. You know, he’s really horrible when he scolds people. I used to be afraid of his angry look.”
“Did he ever scold you?” Qin Sheng was interested.
Brother Liu didn’t think it was awkward; rather, it was something honorable. He smiled and said, “Of course. But that is OK with me. He only scolds people he cares about.”
“Yes, that’s my father.” Qin Sheng giggled.
Brother Liu finished another shot and said, “Qin Sheng, Ran Ran had told me about your purpose of coming to Xi’an. I know. So…”
Then, Brother Liu talked about the Family that caused trouble for the Lin Family, and Qin Sheng just listened, without saying a word.
When Qin Sheng and Brother Liu were talking, a woman and her daughter were boarding a flight to Xi’an.
