Chapter 343: Right Now?

Gongsun the main butler had already made a call to the hotel staff to arrange a private room. Qin Ran led Qin Sheng towards the Chinese restaurant in the hotel and did not let the others follow them. Firstly, she was worried that Qin Sheng might feel uncomfortable with it. Secondly, she wanted to spend time with him alone. Otherwise, they would not get any closer.

Handsome lads and beautiful ladies were always the center of attention wherever they went. When Qin Sheng and Qin Ran appeared in the Chinese restaurant, they did garner quite the attention. Qin Ran was an extremely beautiful woman with a good temperament, so even if her younger brother was ugly, he would not be too ugly at all. After all, there were the family genes. Besides, Qin Sheng was really not ugly, although he was not exactly dashing. He just had a very unique charm. It was an advantage that men of his age did not have.

The private room was too suppressing. On top of that, they were alone. Qin Sheng was worried that the atmosphere would be too awkward and he was even more worried that it would turn into a silent dinner. Hence, he eventually chose a spot by the window. There was no one else around them, just their table. Outside the window was Tsingtao’s night scenery. They could see the city area’s bustling lights and even the sparkling spots from the International Sailing Center far away. This caused Qin Sheng to feel more at ease.

After taking their seats, Qin Ran placed her coat and bag on the chair next to her. She received the menu from the waiter and asked with a smile, “What would you like?”

Qin Sheng grew up in Xi’an, of course he loved noodles the most. He was indeed hungry, as he had not eaten anything since the night before. Hence, he was not shy when answering, “It would be good if there are noodles. Otherwise, buns are fine.”

Hearing the things he ordered in a Chinese restaurant in a five-star hotel, the waiter did not know to laugh or cry. But working in a five-star hotel, the waiter definitely knew how to present himself properly.Please visit on our NovelFull

Besides, he could tell that these two were definitely loaded. Hence, he kept his smile at all times.

Qin Ran did not say anything. She liked Qin Sheng to be himself in front of her. Hence, she ordered him a bowl of noodles. But thinking about it, it would probably not be as authentic, so she also added four more dishes and a bowl of rice.

“You have a lot of questions to ask, right?” Qin Ran stared at Qin Sheng and asked with a smile. Ever since they returned to the hotel, she had been wearing that smile on her face all along. It had been many years since she was last this happy.

Qin Sheng nodded and his expression looked a little serious.

Qin Ran continued, “Go ahead and ask. As long as I know the answer, I’ll tell you.”

“Ever since I start to remember things, the only relative I know is Grandfather. Since young, Grandfather and I only had each other. Afterward, I had foster parents. Until today, it has been more than 20 years. So when you suddenly appeared and told me that you’re my older sister and that I have parents, I did not believe you,” Qin Sheng said bluntly.

This was an expected question, so Qin Ran laughed and said, “I knew that you would ask that. I thought about it before as well. I even thought about how I should meet you, how I should reconcile with you. This is also why I met you first in Xiamen and Hangzhou. I just wanted to interact with you first and then tell you the truth later. But later on, I felt that no matter how I was going to tell you, you won’t be able to accept it in a short amount of time. Hence, this resulted in what happened today.”

After saying these, Qin Ran reached into her bag and took out her purse. She then took out a photo from inside it. She had treasured it for many years. She passed it to him slowly and said at the same time, “This was when we were young, before you left Beijing. This was taken when Grandfather took us to the Forbidden City. You definitely don’t remember this, but you should be able to recognize the little boy. I will tell you many things from when we were young and let you see many pictures and so on. If you still don’t believe, then you probably trust science, right? The present-day DNA technology is already very advanced.”

Qin Sheng took over the photo with doubt. It was a color photo that was turning brown. The background of the photo was the courtyard in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City. The sun was shining brightly and the sky was cloudless. A seven to eight-year-old little girl was holding onto the hand of a three to a four-year-old little boy. The little girl’s cheeks were red and she looked shy in front of the camera. The innocent and pure boy, however, was not. He was smiling very brightly with his pearly-white teeth.

“This is me?” Qin Sheng asked himself. The only pictures from his childhood that he had were all taken after he went to Xi’an. They were all about three to four years apart from this photo. Kids grow fast, so there was still some visible difference. However, he could still tell from the facial features. Hence, Qin Sheng was a little shocked.

Qin Ran did not know to laugh or cry. “You can don’t admit that that’s you.”

Just as Qin Sheng was in a daze, Qin Ran stretched out her hand and held his arm. Under Qin Sheng’s shocked gaze, she took off his old Shanghai-brand watch that had been around for years.

Qin Ran looked at the watch and asked, “Do you know the story behind this watch?”

Qin Sheng recalled and said, “I only heard from Grandfather that this was the only present Mother gave to me, so I’ve been wearing it all along.”

“Yes, this watch was indeed given by our Mother to you. But this watch originally belonged to our maternal Grandfather. And it’s unique, no one can buy it no matter how much money they had. This is a customized watch made by a Shanghai watch manufacturer for anyone of a senior officer rank or higher. Afterward, he passed it on to Mother, who passed it on to you. No one else has this honor,” Qin Ran explained at one go. She naturally knew clearly the story that Qin Sheng had no idea of.

The amount of information in this sentence shocked Qin Sheng. Firstly, he now learned of this watch’s history. He already started to believe that Qin Ran was his older sister. He was starting to have some expectation for the woman who gave him this only present, which was his biological mother. Secondly, this watch was a customized watch for senior officers. That meant that his maternal Grandfather must be at least a senior officer, and possibly of an even higher rank. Mother would then definitely be a rich second-generation of a government official, but he did not know what she did. What about Father? Recalling his guesses about the Qin family today, Qin Sheng was increasingly curious about this true identity.

Qin Sheng slowly digested all this information. They were really causing him to be more shocked. But he still had questions, so he continued, “I want to know why I was taken away by Grandfather. Or rather, is this Grandfather not my biological Grandfather? Did he have another identity that I did not know of?”

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Qin Sheng’s question caused Qin Ran to be pleased because he seemed to be starting to accept his new identity. This was a slightly better start.

She slowly explained, “You don’t have to doubt this. This Grandfather who had a close relationship with you for more than 20 years is not only your Grandfather but also mine. In my memory, I don’t have much memory of Grandfather as he was not in Beijing most of the time. Even our parents rarely get to see him. Similarly, I have some hatred toward him more or less, as he took you away and caused us to be separated for more than 20 years.”

Qin Sheng heaved a long sigh, he was completely relieved as the thing that he was most worried about did not happen. This Grandfather whom he had spent more than 20 years fighting life and death with was really his biological Grandfather. After all, in terms of relationship, he was definitely closest to him. If this Grandfather was not his biological Grandfather, like what he thought, Qin Sheng might find it really hard to accept and might not get over it in a short period of time.

“As to why Grandfather took you away, I still have no clue to this day. If you really want to know, you can ask our Father after we go back to Beijing,” Qin Ran said honestly. She really did not understand what happened back then. She asked Qin Changan several times yet his answers were always vague.

This answer surprised Qin Sheng more or less. He stared at Qin Ran and kept on looking at her. He did not continue the topic.

“Do you have any more questions?” Qin Ran asked with a smile.

Qin Sheng definitely had lots of doubts, how could it possibly end here? He continued to ask, “When did you find out that I’m your younger brother?”

“I only knew when you were in Xiamen, so I went there to look for you,” Qin Ran said calmly.

Qin Sheng frowned. “If you’ve already known back then, why didn’t you tell me the truth and reconcile with me?”

“Hai,” Qin Ran sighed. She knew that he would ask for sure, but she already thought of an answer. Since Qin Changan was the one who insisted on doing it this way, then she shall push all the blame to him and let him explain to Qin Sheng himself. Hence, Qin Ran explained, “That’s because our Father did not let me do it. He said that he had other plans, which is why we can only reconcile today.”

Qin Sheng was not satisfied with the answer, as he had already sorted out the flow of the story clearly. Hence, he said, “No, we met once at Shanghai’s Yuerong Manor.”

“We did? Why don’t I know that?” Qin Ran asked in shock. After trying to recall for a long time, she still did not remember meeting Qin Sheng in Shanghai before. Hence, she frowned and said, “I only knew that you’re my brother when you were in Xiamen. So if we’ve really met before, I definitely did not know who you were.”

This explanation seemed logical. Qin Sheng nodded without saying a word. During that encounter, they merely walked past each other, perhaps Qin Ran really could not remember.

“No, something is still not right. You said that you only knew of my identity when you were in Xiamen, but Zhuang Zhou saved my life when I was in Mount Jiuhua. If it wasn’t for him, I would have died there. How do you explain this? Everything can’t be a coincidence. Why did he appear in Mount Jiuhua? It seems like he already knew who I was when I was still in Shanghai, which was why he spied on me and only appeared in Mount Jiuhua,” Qin Sheng said as he frowned tightly and shook his head.

Qin Ran really admired her younger brother. He had apparently already pieced everything together. It was too difficult to bluff him. She could only say, “I can only tell you that I only knew of your identity when you were recuperating in Xiamen. As for when Uncle Zhuang found out, or how he saved you, I really have no idea. You can only ask him when we go back to Beijing.”

“Okay, I still have one more question.” Qin Sheng did not think that Qin Ran would not know these. He did not know if they were the truth or not. But since she already said that the father in Beijing, whom he had never met, knew the story behind it, then he should just ask him directly then. That would save a lot of trouble.

“Go ahead,” Qin Ran said calmly.

“How did you guys know that I’m in Tsingtao? And how do you know about my story with the Song family?” Qin Sheng’s questions were all very direct. There was no hiding.

Qin Ran smiled and answered, “This is an easier question. Because Uncle Zhuang gave you this identity. As long as we use the system to check, we’re able to know where you are, so it’s very easy to locate you.”

Qin Ran did not dare to say that Zhuang Zhou and Nan Gong had been protecting Qin Sheng secretly. This was because Qin Sheng had gone through too much during this period of time. He had too much difficulties and his friend had to die because of him.

If Qin Sheng knew this truth, he would be furious. So before meeting Qin Sheng, Qin Ran, Gongsun and Zhuang Zhou had a discussion to come up with a strategy; what to say and what not to say. They must know where the lines are drawn.

Qin Sheng did not say a word. This explanation was indeed simple. It was now the Internet-era where technology was very advanced. Everything required an identity. As long as they entered the system, they would be able to know his location.

“You don’t have any more questions, do you?” Qin Ran asked casually as she saw him enter deep thoughts.

Qin Sheng shook his head. Qin Ran knew too little, only that father knew everything. Hence, Qin Sheng could not wait to figure out everything. He did not like the feeling of being played around by others. Hence, he said firmly, “Let’s go to Beijing.”

When Qin Ran heard those words, she froze. After a while, she finally asked, “Right now?”

Qin Sheng nodded directly and said, “Right now.”