Strongest Counterattack

Now, Qin Sheng was already the prey in Yan Chaozong and Qu Huanxi’s hunting game.

For Qu Huanxi, he could show this off in front of others, but he dared not be so unscrupulous in front of Yan Chaozong. Though Qu Huanxi’s grandfather was somebody in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, his family started from an illicit business, shouldering original sins and lacking in history and achievements. If any big shots wanted to take the Qu family down, it would be quite easy and the family had no power to strike back. And similar cases happened a lot in recent years. They might swagger for a time, but the danger of being eliminated always existed since they had done something unclean.

But the Yan family, which was a rich and powerful family with hundreds of years of history in Jiangsu Province, Zhejiang Province, and Shanghai, was totally different. Let alone it was a big shot in Shanghai now, adding to that the Yan family had quite many branches and relations by marriage, the Yans were an invincible power that the Qus would never be mentioned with in the same breath.

This was the disparity between the overnight millionaire and the wealthy and powerful big shot.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the study of Jiuxi Rose Garden was awkward. Qin Sheng was too embarrassed to face Cao Da. Cao Da felt surprised about the truth, but did not mean to blame Qin Sheng for this. Why? Qin Changan was behind Qin Sheng for back up. He was even not afraid that Qin Sheng might exhaust all of his wealth. After all, he had led a worthwhile life, but his son Cao Zhang needed a ticket to the upper class. What he did for Qin Sheng now would get repaid someday, and it would be worth a lot.

This was a deal that anybody was willing to get involved in, deserving his taking adventure.

Cao Da said nothing, thinking about what had happened in Hangzhou recently. Did Qin Changan know this, since he was far away in Beijing? He had no idea that Qin Changan had been in Hangzhou and had reached some agreement with Master Liu. Master Liu, of course, had received his special “payment”. Owing to Qin Changan’s relations, the prices of Master Liu’s works had been assessed much higher.

“Uncle Cao, this is totally my fault. I’m really sorry for letting you suffer such a great loss. I’ll take the responsibility. I’ll quit,” Qin Sheng said, upset.

Cao Da squinted and stared at Qin Sheng. He said, “This is your decision? Are you taken down by this incident? You’re still so young. Don’t worry that much. Now that I chose to invest in your business, I believe in your potential. This is not a big storm. Though I haven’t been involved in these things in recent years, it’s not hard for me to handle one more.”

“Uncle Cao…” Hearing Cao Da’s comforting words, Qin Sheng felt even more guilty.

Cao Da waved his hands and said, “If this is your business, then just solve it yourself. If you need any help, I’m always ready to give it. As for this incident, let’s move on and never mention this anymore. Just do what you’re going to do. All right now.”

“Uncle Cao…” Qin Sheng was moved by his words.

Cao Da shook his head and said, “Life has its ups and downs. You have to experience these things when you’re young or you’ll feel regret when you’re old. You can lose anything but your confidence and courage. Sometimes, you even need a little pride to gain success. You should always tell yourself that you, Qin Sheng, will be a real big shot sooner or later. These were no more than some tests from the gods. One day, when you surmount all of these, standing on the peak, all the previous difficulties will be part of your life legend. Just go and do your thing.”

Cao Da was excited and enthusiastic when he put out the words. Qin Sheng was extremely grateful for this. He nodded and left.

Since the incident had happened, Qin Sheng was truly surprised that Cao Da did not blame him for the loss. But Qin Sheng did not take it for granted. He decided to make more effort to pay back Cao Da’s appreciation of him.

When Qin Sheng went downstairs, Mi Na was going out with Yu Er. She said with a smile, “Qin Sheng, visit us with Lin Su next time. I’ll cook something delicious for you. Recently, Lin Su and I chat a lot.”

Mi Na was at a similar age as them. She had a lot to chat about with Lin Su on WeChat and they frequently interacted on the social apps. Although Mi Na herself was unworthy to marry such a wealthy man as Cao Da, and people might gossip behind about this marriage, at least she would not suffer from the difficulties of life anymore.

Some might say difficulties are also the wealth of life. But difficulties could throw one off completely.

It was still early when Qin Sheng left Jiuxi Rose Garden, so he went to the company. He rarely went to the headquarters, and just asked Lao Zhou to manage the affairs there. Qin Sheng focused on the business of entertainment and catering. He did not mean to give Lao Zhou much leisure time, which would be a waste for the company. Now Lao Zhou had been capable of dealing with all the business and troubles. This was also why Cao Da began to suppress him.

Yu Fengzhi was in the company today, talking with Ms. An. Qin Sheng had given Yu Fengzhi a new position as the company’s vice manager, but she had to report everything to Ms. An. Qin Sheng was clear about Yu Fengzhi’s ability, which was wasted working in Guangyin LIVE. When Guangyin got on track, then she could do something else. Vice manager was a suitable position for her since Yu Fengzhi could be a competent rival of Lao Yu, good at controlling him. Besides, Ms. An had won the contracts of a couple of catering companies and been busy with searching out and selecting sites for new restaurants. Yu Fengzhi could help with this.

Ms. An and Yu Fengzhi did not leave after their talk. Ms. An asked Qin Sheng, “You don’t look well. You deserve a holiday after settling these things. I heard from Fengzhi that Lin Su is in Hangzhou. You can take a trip with her.”

“I’m fully occupied these days, but I like your idea, Ms. An. I must have a holiday and forget all these things then,” Qin Sheng said with a smile.

Yu Fengzhi seemed to be jealous. She said, “Someone cheated us to go to Hangzhou and then disappeared. Someone finds a new love and forget his old story.”

Qin Sheng got Yu Fengzhi’s hint and felt awkward. So he said nothing in response.

Ms. An was willing to be a bystander and said, “Fengzhi, if you like Qin Sheng, just go for it. You’ll lose your chance if they marry one day. I’m with you.”

“But I’m afraid someone doesn’t give me any chance,” Yu Fengzhi answered.

Qin Sheng hid his embarrassment behind his smile and said, “You two, don’t kid me.”

They chatted a few words, and Qin Sheng seized a chance to leave, avoiding more teasing from the two women.

When he went back to the Golden Coast, it was 11:30 a.m. Qin Sheng smelled the aroma from the kitchen and heard the sound of laughter the moment he opened the door.

“I’m home,” Qin Sheng said as he put away his umbrella.

Lin Yue, wearing slippers and an apron, rushed out of the kitchen and said in a surprised voice, “Here comes my brother-in-law. I’m asking you what magic you have done to my sister to transform her from a rich young lady to a good wife. She used to be served with everything by the servants. But now she can cook so well. I admire you so much.”

“No more flattering. Do me a favor. Would you mind taking this umbrella to the balcony?” Qin Sheng asked Lin Yue and handed her the umbrella, giving a helpless glance to her.

Lin Su came out of the kitchen and stared at Qin Sheng. She seemed to have something to say but finally said nothing. She smiled and said, “One moment please. Lunch is almost ready.”

Qin Sheng laughed and said, “Today I can eat three bowls of rice.”

Lin Yue came back from the balcony and said, “My brother-in-law, I also cooked a dish for you. But I’m not as good of a cook as my sister. If you have any suggestion, just keep it.”

“You’ve done some cooking?” Qin Sheng was surprised. Lin Su had lived alone before, so she had done some cooking in those days. But Lin Yue was literally a fair-skinned, rich, and beautiful young lady. Even when she was studying abroad, she had hired a maid to cook. Lin Yue, literally, had never cooked.

Lin Yue was a little annoyed. “Why? You don’t believe me? I’m learning from my sister to become a future good wife. So I should learn to entertain guests and do some cooking, attracting my future husband with both my beauty and ability.”

That was a good idea. So Qin Sheng praised her by saying, “Nice, good girl. I promise you a good future.”

Qin Sheng went to change clothes and Lin Yue went to the kitchen to learn cooking. A few minutes later, Qin Sheng was asked to come out of the study for lunch. He was really surprised when he saw the feast on the table.

There were six dishes and one soup, as well as the boiled vegetable made by Lin Yue. Anyway, Lin Yue had tried her best to cook and Qin Sheng never expected her to cook any complicated cuisine. The dish in the center of the table was Sweet and Sour Mandarin Fish, Qin Sheng’s favorite. Lin Su had spared no effort on today’s lunch.

So Qin Sheng ate most of the feast. He did eat three bowls of rice as he said. Lin Su and Lin Yue were surprised by Qin Sheng. Compared with him, the two sisters really ate little, they even split a bowl of rice. It was Lin Yue’s first time to cook. But with the help of Lin Su, the boiled vegetable that Lin Yue made was not bad.

After the lunch, Lin Yue left to hang out with her friend. But she would invite Qin Sheng and Lin Su to a big dinner, her treat. The “little girl” started to work in a branch company belonging to the Lin family now. She was, of course, a rich young lady.

After Lin Yue left, Qin Sheng let Lin Su take a rest while he washed the dishes. When he finished washing and came back from the kitchen, Lin Su had made Pu’er tea in the sitting room, waiting for him. Obviously, she was talking with him about what happened this morning. But Qin Sheng didn’t want to tell Lin Su the truth, so he was thinking about how to shift her attention.

Qin Sheng took a seat beside Lin Su. Lin Su poured him a cup of tea. This delicate set of tea tools was carefully chosen by Lin Su. Recently, they decided to buy an apartment and would make a down payment in two days. Lin Su wanted to write both of their names on the property ownership certificate, but Qin Sheng refused, wanting the house to belong to Lin Su alone. He said he won’t trouble himself to care about chores around the house, and the name on the certificate was not a big deal. And the financial power of the family should belong to the wife. Lin Su tried to persuade Qin Sheng, but then gave up.

“How did the talk go?” Lin Su asked carefully, fearing that this would irritate Qin Sheng.

Qin Sheng chuckled and said, “It went very well. Anyway, Yan Chaozong was always the young master of the Yan family, with his great pride.”

“Did he give you any trouble?” Lin Su was worried. She didn’t want Qin Sheng to suffer.

Qin Sheng laughed and said, “All as I expected. Of course he wanted to trouble me but not a lot. Your husband is not a coward. I’ll never be a sacrificial lamb.”

“What about the result?” Lin Su said and frowned. She felt something but was not sure.

Qin Sheng sighed and said, “The talk went nowhere.”

Lin Su felt weird. Qin Sheng’s casual voice made her almost believe that the talk went well and had a good result. She didn’t expect this, and asked, “Why?”

“He said he wanted you. Then, it was over,” Qin Sheng said. This was a reasonable explanation that Lin Su would not suspect.

Lin Su stared at Qin Sheng and kept silent for a while. Then she held Qin Sheng’s hand and said, “What will you do?”

“We’ll see. There will be another talk soon,” Qin Sheng said and chuckled, hugging Lin Su’s shoulder.

Lin Su nodded and leaned her head on Qin Sheng’s shoulder. She didn’t ask anything else, for she felt much better now.

But what about Qin Sheng?

Yan Chaozong was not a patient person. So he had to make the decision as soon as possible.