Chapter 370 A Slap Across the Face
Due to the difference in cultures in places, every place has a different value system.
For example, in Dongbei, the majority of people felt that as long as you were rich, you were the boss. They felt that money was powerful and there was nothing you could not do with money. Many people became government officials just to earn money. A small leader could earn up to billions, so the corruption in Dongbei was very serious. The neighboring city of Shangdong was exactly the opposite. Hometown to Kong Meng, this city had been influenced by traditional ideas. Those who wanted to earn big money only wanted to become an official at most. For example, those five fake ministers. They bought their way from being businessmen up to the vice-ministerial level. Needless to say, how many big shots in the government and army came out of Shandong all these years? There was a joke that said that the highest praise a Shandong elder could give a younger one was that this kid would grow up to be an officer.
The cultures in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai, and Sijiu City were also different. In Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai, the emphasis was on becoming rich and successful together. Everyone benefitted from their connections, and by taking what they needed, they maximized profits.
But in Sijiu City’s wealthy circle, the emphasis was on background and talent. This circle’s entry requirement was very high and it was difficult to get in. Everyone had a very strong backer supporting them. Not only were they representing themselves, but more so, their family, etc. Their status was different from most people’s. The majority of them were very wary of others. They knew very well that many people only got close to them just for the backer that was supporting them.
Hence, those who could play in the same circle were either childhood friends who could trust each other or those whose parents knew each other, so there was double a.s.surance.
Therefore, it could also be seen that there were many chaotic social circles in Sijiu City. Many people happily mixed around in these circles, but how many of them truly became a.s.sociated with the rich and powerful?
So, even though Brother Zhao and Third Sister patronized this place quite often, they had never become close with anyone so easily. People hated it. If your talent was on a different level, then all their effort would be in vain.
The private room in the bar was decorated simply, as its main purpose was to provide customers with a place to chit-chat or have a personal s.p.a.ce to play Night Has Fallen and other table games without disturbing others or being disturbed by others.
After the crowd went in, Ma Weiyang still pulled on Qin Sheng and did not let go. Qin Ran did not know whether to laugh or cry. “Ponytail, this is my younger brother, not yours! Can you please control yourself? If you’ve had your eyes on him, it’s not too late to get a divorce.”
Ponytail answered quite indifferently, “Your brother is my brother. How could I possibly not know how you’ve spent all these years? Besides, I haven’t seen little Shengzi in more than 20 years, so of course I must take a good look at him. If you’re willing, and little Shengzi is willing, I don’t mind becoming his lover.”
“You’re so shameless.” Qin Ran laughed and scolded her.
Qin Sheng was helpless. How could this beautiful lady be so direct and not care about his feelings? Meanwhile, the other two men saw Qin Sheng’s helplessness as well as Sister Ran and Ponytail’s fight and were having a good time laughing about it. However, the center of their focus was still on Sister Ran’s younger brother who had appeared suddenly.
Zhang Da did not come in with them. He had to tell his buddies, like Fan Weizhi, the news. However, for some reason, no one picked up their phone. As it was the end of the year, perhaps everyone was busy doing work, attending work-related gatherings, etc. The rules did not allow them to check their phone, so it was understandable.
Only Fan Dezhi rushed over. In the beginning, he still did not believe it and told Zhang Da to not joke about such a thing. No matter how Zhang Da explained it, he still did not believe it. Fan Dezhi only rushed over when Zhang Da said that if he was lying to him, he would do whatever Fan Dezhi wanted.
After the call, Zhang Da then returned to the private room. He complained, “That idiot Fan Dezhi did not believe me.”
“Why did you call him? I still don’t want to let others know,” Qin Ran said with a frown. She did not expect Zhang Da to tell others and was surprised by it.
Zhang Da quickly replied, “Oh, oh, it’s my fault, my fault. I was just too happy. But fortunately, he’s coming now and others either missed the call or did not believe it at all.”
Ma Weiyang could not be bothered to listen to his excuses. She snorted, “Can you not act so rashly? You’ve yet to find out what is happening and you’re already telling everyone! No wonder you still haven’t made it to the general headquarters and can only be in charge of the small companies.”
Zhang Da reb.u.t.ted, “I’m fine with that.”
Ma Weiyang glared at him, not finding it in herself to start an argument. When this bunch of people gathered, they were always dissing each other, yet their relationships never went astray.
“Ranran, tell us, when did you find little Shengzi?” Ma Weiyang asked excitedly.
Qin Ran did not know how to explain herself. She pondered a while then said, “Actually, we had tracked him down last year, but the old man kept it a secret. Even I only found about it this year. I have to say, he did a great job of hiding it.”
“Master Qin is so strong! More than 20 years have pa.s.sed, and we already lost hope, yet he could still persevere and look for little Shengzi. Indeed, G.o.d will surely reward those who are good-hearted. Finally, your old man now has a successor!” Zhang Da praised him sincerely. He did not admire many people, but Master Qin was definitely one of them. If his family had not disagreed, he would have volunteered to be his G.o.dson already.
Ma Weiyang echoed emotionally from the side, “Master Qin is indeed Master Qin.”
Qin Ran continued, “You still remember going to Shanghai with me a while ago? Do you know why I had to go cause a scene? It was to help my brother seek justice. But this thing has yet to end, so we will need to deal with it sooner or later.”
Hearing this, Ma Weiyang stood up immediately. “Oh G.o.d, so that’s why! How dare that b.a.s.t.a.r.d bully little Shengzi? He has absolutely crossed the line! Ranran, why didn’t you tell me this earlier? I would have made sure he couldn’t eat and had to crawl around. How could I have let him go so easily?”
Zhang Da squinted his eyes, finally understanding what happened last time. No wonder Qin Ran was so p.i.s.sed. He laughed coldly. “Oh, so it’s like that. Gotcha.”
Qin Sheng was a little confused, but he could mostly grasp what was going on. If he was right, his sister must have gone to Shanghai to look for Yan Chaozong.
“Sis, leave it to me,” he said casually.
Qin Ran chucked. “I know, but my heart still aches.”
Ma Weiyang said very solemnly, “Ranran, little Shengzi is right. He should be the one to take revenge. Only by doing so will he feel satisfied! Little Shengzi, don’t worry about anything else, and just do it. As long as you don’t kill or commit arson, we will be here for you no matter what happens. Not only are you Ranran’s biological younger brother, but you’re also ours. And don’t forget, we always played with you when you were young!”
Zhang Da also chimed in. “Kid, give me a heads-up before going to Shanghai. We have a number of friends there.”
The other two young men also joined in on the conversation. “Us too. We only help our family, and you’re one of them.”
It eventually dawned on Qin Sheng why his sister had brought him here: she was helping him gather resources. When he really made his way to Shanghai, there would be plenty of help for him to utilize.
“Thank you, my brothers and sisters,” Qin Sheng said from the bottom of his heart.
At this moment, someone knocked on the door, interrupting their discussion. Zhang Da thought that Fan Dezhi was nearby and had already arrived here, so he happily got up to open the door.
After opening the door, he realized that it was not him. Instead, it was a stranger whom he had never met before. Feeling a little unhappy, Zhang Da asked, “Who are you looking for?”
The uninvited guest was naturally Wei Li. He laughed and said, “I’m looking for Qin Sheng.”
Hearing that he was looking for Qin Sheng, Zhang Da’s att.i.tude immediately did a 180. He opened the door for the man to come in and said to Qin Sheng, “Little Shengzi, he’s looking for you.”
Although Wei Li had only met Qin Sheng a few times, he believed them to be friends. He shouted naturally, “Qin Sheng, it’s really you! I didn’t expect to see you here!”
Qin Sheng was an intelligent guy, and he was no worse than him when it came to playing tricks. It’s just that sometimes, he did not have enough luck and resources. Besides, he was not familiar with him. Hence, he answered directly with a question, “Do I know you?”
Wei Li’s face fell as he replied awkwardly, “Qin Sheng, what are you talking about? We’re cla.s.smates!”
Zhang Da already knew what was going on and what Qin Sheng was trying to do. He chuckled as he asked, “Little Shengzi, you don’t know him?”
Qin Sheng answered emotionlessly, “No, I don’t.”
“You’d better get out of here before the count of three. Otherwise, you shall pay the consequences,” Zhang Da said to Wei Li gravely as the others also glared at him. They did not like to be disturbed, and besides, there were rules here.
What a slap across the face…
Wei Li had the word “awkward” written on his face. Completely at a loss, he did not know how to deal with this situation. He did not expect Qin Sheng to say that, nor did he think that he would be disturbing them. Wei Li just saw a familiar face and wanted to say h.e.l.lo, unaware of why Qin Sheng would say that. But since he had already done so, there was no turning around.
Naturally, Wei Li did not want to offend this group of people. He quickly smiled and apologized, “Sorry, I must have gotten the wrong person. Again, so sorry for the intrusion. I’ll get going now.”
While saying so, Wei Li walked out of the room and even closed the door respectfully.
After shutting the door, Wei Li’s face instantly showed his disappointment and unhappiness. But so what if he was dissatisfied? He subconsciously wanted to get revenge on Qin Sheng by telling Yan Chaozong and the rest of his whereabouts. However, thinking about what Brother Zhao had told him earlier, he retreated again. It was just one rejection, and he did not lose anything. What’s more, he did not believe that he couldn’t get past the obstacle named Qin Sheng.
When Wei Li returned back to his seat, Brother Zhao saw his depressed look and guessed the answer. He laughed and said, “Rejected?”
Wei Li was confused. “Brother Zhao, how did you know?”
Brother Zhao shook his head and smiled. “Oh, Wei Li, sometimes you have to tone down your cleverness a bit. For this group of youngsters, they would not give a c.r.a.p about you just because you are rich. There are plenty of families who are wealthier than yours, right? Even so, there are many who escape, run, and die all of a sudden. The water in Sijiu City runs deep. You’ll get the hang of it in time.”
Wei Li was not angry at all. Rather, he smiled bitterly and said, “Thank you, Brother Zhao, for the lesson.”
In the private room, Qin Ran could feel that the atmosphere earlier on was not quite right, so she asked in a low voice, “Qin Sheng, did you recognize him?”
Qin Sheng did not deny it. “I did. He was a cla.s.smate in the advanced cla.s.s. Besides, he’s from Hangzhou and knows about my story there, so I’m just testing him.”
Qin Ran got the picture immediately, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. “You are just like the old man!”
Qin Sheng smiled cheekily, not refuting.
The other people in the private room might not pay much attention to this small incident. Qin Sheng naturally had his reasons for doing so. They would not pick on Qin Sheng because of an outsider.