Strongest Counterattack

Qin Changan knew that Qin Ran was quite capable. Putting her circle of friends aside, she could figure out what had happened within minutes if she took advantage of her uncle’s connections. Moreover, since her uncle was currently a tycoon in Shanghai’s political circle, she definitely could not be kept in the dark. Otherwise, if she knew the details at that time, their relationship, which had been alleviated scarcely, would come to a standstill again.

It was not convenient for Qin Changan to tell Qin Ran the details in front of her directly because he was afraid that his daughter would directly hurt his feelings. As a result, he had no choice but to ask Gongsun, who also knew the inside story, to communicate with Qin Ran.

As Qin Ran started listening to Gongsun’s narration, she frowned immediately. Gongsun told her how Qin Sheng had been bullied by Yan Chaozong, plunged into a crisis several consecutive times, and how those with Yan Chaozong included had set Qin Sheng up. When Qin Ran heard the details of how Qin Sheng had almost died in Mount Jiuhua and how he had recovered himself from the serious injuries for half a year, tears rolled down her face in an instant. She finally understood where her feelings came from after talking with her brother that night. That night, she felt her brother was so mature and he was also under lots of pressure. It seemed he was leading a tiresome life.

How could he not end up like this after going through all these things?

Clenching her fists tightly, Qin Ran exploded completely in the end, with tears all over her face. She loudly yelled out the words “He is your son” furiously. Obviously, she was questioning Qin Changan about since Qin Sheng was his son and he had ended up like this, how could he have not felt sorry for him? Could it be that he would only do what a father should do after he was dead?

For such a long time, Qin Ran not been so heartbroken. She could not understand what Qin Changan was thinking. She collapsed to the ground and wept disconsolately. The reason why she behaved like this was that she loved her brother dearly, more than anyone else. She felt sorry for her brother. Though he had suffered from such serious injuries, he was still so strong and still looked ahead with a smile.

But, the stronger her brother was, the more dearly she loved him.

“Mom.” Crying hopelessly, Qin Ran shouted out aggrievedly. Never had she cried in such heartbreak for a long time. Even when she met her brother after all these years, she only cried with tears since she felt happy; however, she felt really heartbroken now.

Gongsun was somewhat at a loss and he did not know what he should do. The word “Mom” Qin Ran had loudly called out made him lose his sense of order because he loved Qin Ran most dearly and he knew how much pain Qin Ran must have been in since she had cried out for her mom.

Gongsun could not help complaining about Qin Changan in secret. He thought, “Qin Changan, why did you make me tell her the truth? What was the point of letting her know the truth? If we could have kept her in the dark for one more day, it would also be good. Now what we should do?”

Squatting on the ground, Gongsun patted Qin Ran on her back gently and consoled her. He said, “Ran Ran, don’t cry anymore. I know you feel sorry for your brother; however, your father has a grievance of his own. Moreover, he did get revenge for Qin Sheng.”

Qin Ran cried as if she were a child who would never grow up. She thought, “If mom had known how much hardship that brother has gone through, how much pain would she have felt?” She replied aggrievedly, “I miss my mom. My mom would definitely protect both my brother and me. Boo-hoo-hoo.”

What Qin Ran said made Gongsun feel more awful. He was more at a loss. Consequently, he had no choice but to yell at Qin Changan inside the study, “Master, will you attend to her or not? What should we do?”

In the study, Qin Changan lit a cigarette. He had not known the taste of cigarettes for a long time. Letting out a sigh helplessly, he remained silent and let Qin Ran continue to cry outside. As a father, how could he not feel sorry for his daughter? However, when it came to some issues, he had to be that cruel.

It was unknown how long Gongsun had been consoling Qin Ran. He finally talked her into not crying anymore, which was simply a blessing for him. If Qin Ran continued crying, he really did not know what to do next.

“Qin Changan, if you do not love your son, I will turn to my maternal grandmother and uncle instead.” Qin Ran, who was obstinate, stood up, wiped her tears away, left this sentence behind, and was ready to leave the siheyuan.

As a result, Gongsun was thrown into a panic. If Qin Ran really turned to the members of the Zhu family, then the whole thing would become well known. At that time, nobody would know how it would wind up and Qin Changan’s efforts would have been in vain.

Consequently, Gongsun directly stopped Qin Ran and said, “Ran Ran, stop fooling around. Calm yourself down and let me finish my words first. Then you can make your own decision. Is that OK for you?”

“What else will you tell me?” Qin Ran replied, feeling wronged.

Gongsun did his best to convince her. He said, “Things didn’t go as what you have thought, nor did you know what had happened afterward. Your father did have done something for Qin Sheng. Due to your father’s influence, the Yan family, the Lin Family, and the Ye Family had been leading a turbulent life in these days. Do you know why your father didn’t step up directly? The reason was not that your father didn’t reconcile with Qin Sheng yet, but that he simply could not do that.”

Qin Ran was a bit confused. She asked, “Why?”

Gongsun replied resolutely, “Because it is Qin Sheng’s personal vendetta, not your father’s. It must be done by Qin Sheng himself. If you reconciled with each other someday and Qin Sheng asked for your father’s help on his own initiative, at that time, your father could show up. If I explain it in this way, do you understand or not?”

Upon hearing this sentence, Qin Ran finally calmed herself down. She could not help getting locked in thoughts.

“The men’s world has its own rules, which is observed by men. You have to think about the issue from Qin Sheng’s perspective instead of yours,” Gongsun continued.

Qin Ran did not speak. She was pondering what Gongsun had said. It was unknown how long it had been before she finally came to her senses. Wiping her tears away, she said, “I understand it now. But I won’t let them lead an easy life.”

Upon finishing her words, Qin Ran directly drove out of siheyuan and left. Gongsun felt somewhat helpless. It was unknown whether Qin Ran would make a mess or not. At this time, Qin Changan came out eventually.

Running over in a hurry, Gongsun said, “Master, the way I see it, it was not necessary for you to do that. What should we do now?”

Qin Changan replied thoughtfully, “Let her go. She has her own judgment. In any case, whatever huge mess she is going to make, I will stand behind her and never allow any harm to happen to her. As long as she can vent her feelings.”

This was what a father would do for his children.

In the morning, when Qin Changan and Gongsun just arrived home after taking a stroll in the alley, the Eldest Master of the Chen family, whom Gongsun had mentioned earlier, came as expected. As long as Qin Changan had lived in the siheyuan, most of the time, he would take a stroll in the alley in the morning. He liked the atmosphere in the old Beijing better, where the neighbors would visit each other on a frequent basis. Unfortunately, since there were quite many important figures living in this alley, he had no choice but to stroll at a farther place; however, there was a benefit of living here, which was that he did not need to worry about the surrounding public order at all.

The housemaid had gotten the tea brewed. Walking into the living room, Qin Changan said with a smile, “What brings you here? Lao Chen, I hope you are well.”

The Eldest Master of the Chen Family, Chen Luohe, said deprecatingly, “Since you have been so busy that you do not even have time to think of me, if I didn’t come today, it would be unknown when I could see you in person.” His driver and bodyguard were arranged to stay in the side room.

Chen Luohe’s look was emaciated, his chin was square, and his brows were pretty dense. Smartness showed up in his eyes. Apparently, he was not an ordinary person at all. He had the best pair walnuts in his hands, which was called Lion Head from Four Blocs. They were the most valuable ones among the walnuts for amusement. Of course, as the Eldest Master of the Chen family, he had enough money to buy Lion Head.

Though the Qin family and the Chen family had been connected with each other early on and the Old Masters of these two families were close friends of one other, unfortunately, the younger generation rarely communicated with each other. After all, though their parents were on good terms with each other, the young generation just could not get along, which could only be credited to the fact that they were not men of the same line.

Smiling faintly, Qin Changan said, “Speaking of being busy, how could I even compare to you?”

Shaking his head, Chen Luohe sighed bitterly. He said, “Let’s stop complimenting each other. Compared with your state, my state is left behind by thousands of miles. If I said the same words in front of you, I would be insulting myself.”

“You are modest.” Picking his teacup up, Qin Changan said politely, “I wonder why you have visited me today.”

Chen Luohe said with a smile, “As the saying goes, you should never go to the temple for nothing. Since I am here already, some issues must be going on; however, they are not my issues but issues of yours and the Qin family’s.”

Qin Changan asked with great interest, “Since you have visited me in person, I wonder what kinds of issues they are.”

“Lao Qin, if other people did not know what had happened in the Qin Family, it would make sense. How could I have not known what had happened to you previously? Speaking of the fact that Old Master Qin had taken his grandson away during that time, people in the Chen family knew it better than anyone else. I am here today because of your son,” Chen Luohe said slowly.

Changing the look in his eyes slightly, Qin Changan said, “What do you mean?”

Smiling, Chen Luohe explained, “Two days ago, a friend of Old Master in Hangzhou asked me about Old Master’s whereabouts. Consequently, I asked for more details from him and found out that it seemed to have something to do with a descendant of the Qin Family. Since he had turned to people in the Chen family for the issues related to the descendant of the Qin family, the way I see it, it was something related to your son. Consequently, I am here to notify you.”

Qin Changan said thoughtfully, “Is it true?”

“How could I lie to you? As for what was going on exactly, the friend of Old Master did not disclose it to me. He said that he could only do so after meeting Old Master; however, I had no idea where the Old Master was. So in my opinion, if you turned to him, probably he would tell you the truth,” Chen Luohe said truthfully. Speaking of the reason why he had called on Qin Changan in person and told him this issue, actually, he had his own self motives. If Qin Changan really found his son because of his information, he would bear him in mind. Since he was not at the same level as Qin Changan and he needed Qin Changan’s help regarding a lot of things, probably a favor would be equal to mouthwatering benefit.

It did not occur to Qin Changan that Chen Luohe had already known about Qin Sheng’s information. Currently, this issue was always within his control; however, if Chen Luohe really knew the truth, it would become somewhat troublesome. At least, he did not want this news to be leaked out now. Otherwise, the situation would become a bit tricky.

As a result, Qin Changan made a prompt decision and said, “Lao Chen, I wonder, what is the name of the close friend of Old Master?”

“Liu Xinghai, a well-known figure in Hangzhou. Of course, you can track his information.” Chen Luohe chuckled.

Qin Changan nodded quietly and said, “Lao Chen, thanks a lot.”

“Based on the connections between our families, we should not be so polite to each other. Well, since I have said what I should say, I won’t bother you again, who is a busy bee. I will leave first,” Chen Luohe said heart-contently. He had done what he should do. All he needed now was to wait for the return.

Qin Changan replied, “Then I won’t ask you to stay. Gongsun, see Lao Chen off on my behalf.”

Gongsun said respectfully, “Eldest Master Chen, this way.”

After Gongsun saw Chen Luohe off and returned, Qin Changan directly gave him an order. He said, “Let’s go to Hangzhou.”

Firstly, Qin Changan intended to go to Hangzhou to figure out the ins and outs, so that he could nip the source of the news in the bud. Never would he allow the news to be known to other persons. Secondly, he wanted to meet with Qin Sheng, which counted as compensation to him.

At the same time, Qin Ran was drinking tea with her several close friends in a cafe located in Gongzhufen. Speaking of the architecture on Chang’an West Street, they were all government buildings and army compounds. There were so many stories taking place here that they could not be retold with several books. Qin Ran’s several friends were all descendants from army compounds. She was about to lead these persons to Shanghai to make big revenge.