Chapter 435: Changing Plans, Returning Home – Part 1
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Qin Lu couldn’t help but feel somewhat speechless at his grandmother’s sudden change of demeanor.
Ever since Nan Yan had entered the picture, he was no longer his grandmother’s favorite grandson. In fact, there was a time when he had become her most despised presence.
If it weren’t for him winning the little girl over, he had every reason to believe that Old Madam Qin would have driven him out of the family.
“Grandma, Nan Yan has some urgent matters to attend to, and she can’t leave right now. She will come to see you once she’s finished,” Qin Lu tried to console her, but Old Madam Qin remained unimpressed.
She looked at her grandson without a trace of a smile, waved her hand dismissively, and turned away in a regal and aloof manner, showing no interest in engaging in conversation with him.
Qin Lu sighed and walked over to Old Madam Qin, asking, “Grandma, do we have anyone in the Qin family named Qin Zhixiu?”
“Qin Zhixiu?” Old Madam Qin’s eyes flickered with a complex emotion. “Are you talking about the Qin Zhixiu who left the Qin family eighteen years ago and severed all ties with us?”
Qin Lu’s eyes darkened. “Perhaps, perhaps not, Grandma. I want to know more about him.”
To confirm or deny, he couldn’t be sure with just the vague mention he heard from Caesar during their conversation. But if there really was a Qin Zhixiu in the Qin family, he needed to find out more.
Old Madam Qin saw the seriousness in Qin Lu’s expression and realized that this matter must be significant to him. Despite her slight annoyance that he hadn’t brought Nan Yan with him, she decided to share what she knew about Qin Zhixiu.
Qin Zhixiu was a descendant of a collateral branch in the Qin family. Before he turned sixteen, he hadn’t shown any remarkable achievements and wasn’t well-known among the family members.
However, after his sixteenth birthday, he suddenly rose to prominence, displaying astonishing talents in his studies.
At the age of eighteen, he had been admitted to Stanford University against all odds and graduated in just two years with top honors in his specialized field.
Upon graduating, his first act was to announce his disassociation from the Qin family.
Since then, Old Madam Qin had heard no news or updates related to him. It was as if he had vanished into thin air after leaving the family.
Qin Lu furrowed his brow. “Why is someone like Qin Zhixiu, who had so much potential, completely invisible within the Qin family?”
Eighteen years ago, Qin Lu was only eight years old and studying abroad with his parents, completely unaware of the family’s internal affairs.
He had taken over the company at the age of twenty and had never heard of a figure like Qin Zhixiu appearing in the Qin family.
“Because, back then, I had intended to cultivate him properly. I even considered changing his status from collateral to direct heir and raising him to become the future young master of the Qin family.”
“At the time, you were still young, and your parents, as well as your third uncle, refused to return to take over the company. Your second uncle was incapable and couldn’t handle the responsibility. As for me, I was getting older and felt increasingly inadequate, finding it difficult to continue managing the entire company.”
“If he had agreed back then, I would have painstakingly nurtured him and allowed him to take over the management of the entire company in my place.”
“But his ambition was too great,” Old Madam Qin continued, her tone tinged with regret. “He set a condition that if he were to be adopted under my name, it couldn’t be a mere title; he wanted a share of the company’s ownership as well. ”
“At that time, I didn’t know him well, nor did I understand his character. How could I risk handing over my shares to him like that? I had a strong temper back then and said some unpleasant words to him. He responded harshly and our relationship ruptured.”
“Following that, I imposed a gag order, prohibiting anyone from mentioning him…”
Eighteen years later, Old Madam Qin’s attitude had changed significantly compared to the past when she brought up this person again.
If only she had been less strict and more willing to communicate with him at the time, perhaps the current outcome would have been different.
Yet, Old Madam Qin’s emotions were tinged with a hint of regret rather than deep remorse.
The primary reason for this was the presence of Qin Lu.
Qin Lu’s appearance even made her somewhat relieved that she hadn’t entrusted the company to Qin Zhixiu in the first place.
After all, Qin Zhixiu was merely a member of a collateral branch, while Qin Lu was her own grandson!
“Ah Lu, did you suddenly bring him up because you’ve seen him abroad?” she inquired. “If you have the chance to meet him, please convey my apologies and, if possible, arrange for us to meet.”
It had been eighteen years, and as an elderly person approaching the end of her life, she saw no point in holding a grudge against a child.
If there was a chance to reconcile, then reconciliation would be best..