Chapter 336: 336
In China, the provincial capital is usually the economic and political center of the province . But there are exceptions that in some provinces, other major cities might take the place of its provincial capital . For example, in Shandong Province, Tsingtao city developed much better than Jinan, the provincial capital . It was a similar case with Xiamen in Fujian Province, and Dalian in Liaoning Province . These major cities were far more advanced in their development of economy, culture, and other aspects, thereby stealing the show . It was particularly true for Jinan . In the recent two years, not only Tsingtao, but Yantai, another major city in Shandong Province, developed much further in the economy .
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The first reason why Tsingtao could take the leading role of economic advancement in Shandong Province was its location . Tsingtao was blessed to be a harbor city, fully prepared for economic growth . And the second was its history . During the previous hundred years of history, Tsingtao had been highly thought of due to its profound history and abundant culture, as well as its developed economy .
In a seaside square, Qin Sheng was wandering slowly accompanied by Song Zhiqiu . He wore casual clothes bought in Jiujiang and didn’t look decent as usual . It was relatively cold since this was northern China, which had a lower temperature than the south . Fortunately, it was a good day . Song Zhiqiu, who was beside him, dressed like a fashion model with Hermes scarves, a V-neck sweater, grey coat, skintight jeans, and high-heeled thigh boots . She also wore a pair of sunglasses . Compared with Qin Sheng, Song Zhiqiu looked like a fair lady from the upper class .
The sunshine was comfortable enough to make people drowsy . Qin Sheng and Song Zhiqiu had somewhat made a compromise, rather than tit-for-tat as before . The atmosphere between them was peaceful and fine .
This square was in the downtown area of the city, with the International Sailing Center nearby . Quite a lot of visitors and citizens were here and there .
“Last year, I received a message . It said that our Song Family’s antique jade was at the Kumbum Monastery in Qinghai Province . Were you the person who sent the message?” Song Zhiqiu just remembered this and asked .
Qin Sheng answered, “Yeah . I was in Hangzhou in those days . I came across people from the Zhang family and made a deal with them . They helped me with something and I told them where the antique jade was . But I felt regretful, since if they got it, your Song family would hate me . So I sent you a message . ”
“I’m so surprised that you would remember my phone number,” Song Zhiqiu said with a self-mocking smile .
Qin Sheng shrugged and said, “Don’t you remember that I have an extremely good memory? Anything I see, I know it by heart . Otherwise, how could I have called you last night?”
“I’d rather that you forgot it . If so, we’d never have met again and you’d never disturb my life,” Song Zhiqiu said with annoyance . Obviously, she didn’t feel happy about this .
Qin Sheng skipped this topic and asked, “So, what about the jade? Who got it, you or the Zhangs?”
“We were late . The Zhangs got it before us . So, if people of the Song family find out that you’re now in Tsingtao, you know the result . It’ll be hard for you to leave here,” Song Zhiqiu said, staring at Qin Sheng disdainfully . Her situation was terrible as well . If her family knew that she was in touch with Qin Sheng, she would be scolded to the graveyard .
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Qin Sheng giggled and said, “Take it easy . I’m leaving here in two days . ”
“Where are you leaving for?” Song Zhiqiu didn’t want to care about any of Qin Sheng’s business, but she still asked the question before she thought about it .
This was also a question to Qin Sheng . He had thought it over and over on his way just now . He thought he could go to Hong Kong to ask Jiang Xianbang for help . When he was in Xiamen, Zhuang Zhou gave him a fake identity, with a passport, permit for traveling to Hong Kong and Macao, and other certificates needed . He had experienced so much recently and needed time to take a rest and relax . He was confused about quite many things and had no idea about any solutions, which was a bad sign .
Jiang Xianbang had overcome all kinds of difficulties in his life, and was experienced enough to give him lessons for his future life . He shouldn’t drown himself in confusion any longer . But there was another thing he wondered about; where was Zhuang Zhou and what was he doing? Zhuang Zhou’s behavior was beyond his imagination .
“Hong Kong,” Qin Sheng answered .
Song Zhiqiu frowned and asked, “Hong Kong? Do you have any friends there?”
“An elder . He can help me a lot,” Qin Sheng answered and nodded .
Song Zhiqiu sighed and asked, “What on earth happened to you over the past two years? You made me feel that you’ve suffered a lot . You’re totally different from the man I knew before . You’ve almost become another person . ”
“Since I left Shandong, I’ve been in a lot of places . I had no destination . I just wanted to go to different places, looking around . After that, I went back to Shanghai, and stayed for a couple of months . But I offended somebody there and was almost killed . Then I went to Xiamen and took a rest for half a year . After I got healed, I went to Hangzhou . I stayed there over the previous months . However, several days ago, I was driven out of the city . I thought about going to Wuhan . But a friend of mine betrayed me and leaked my plan to my enemy . So I had no choice but to go to another place . That’s why I’m here in Tsingtao . ” Qin Sheng explained, keeping a lot of details hidden .
Song Zhiqiu listened, then said, “Full of ups and downs . ”
“Maybe it’s my destiny . I’m bound to travel here and there . I have no idea where my destination is . Anyway, let’s talk about something else,” Qin Sheng said with a self-mocking smile .
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Song Zhiqiu squinted and said, “The more you pursue, the more effort you need to make and the more suffering you will endure . ”
“Maybe . When I get exhausted, I might settle down somewhere,” Qin Sheng sighed and said . He stretched out his arms like he was trying to hug the blue sky and white clouds . He took a deep breath and said, “Tsingtao is nice . I’d like to travel around . Maybe I’ll never be here in the future . But if I come here again, I won’t see you . ”
Song Zhiqiu was upset by Qin Sheng’s words, but she said nothing, concealing her feelings . Their story would never have a happy ending . What happened last night would be the last plot of the story . They were born to be different persons and destined to go different ways .
For the whole day, Song Zhiqiu and Qin Sheng wandered around . For convenience, Song Zhiqiu booked a room for Qin Sheng at the Westin Hotel, which was behind the Navy Center where Qin Sheng stayed yesterday . If Qin Sheng continued to stay there, other people might find that they were together, over which others would gossip to ruin her reputation . And Qin Sheng would be in danger if his enemy knew where he was . Besides, considering what they had done last night, Song Zhiqiu would never let it happen again .
In the evening, Song Zhiqiu took Qin Sheng to a seafood restaurant in Badaguan . She knew that Qin Sheng fancied seafood and this was a good restaurant, so she took him here .
Over the following three days, Song Zhiqiu skipped all her work and invitations to show Qin Sheng around Tsingtao . That was the only thing she could do for Qin Sheng . She still remembered and cared about their old stories . But now was not the time . Qin Sheng was in a bad condition . As his friend, and as a woman who used to love him, she hoped that Qin Sheng would be fine . So she led Qin Sheng to travel to all the places of interest in the city as well as those in the suburbs like Mount Lao and Huangdao . Qin Sheng greatly praised the green tea produced on Mount Lao . Besides that, she also borrowed a yacht from her friend so that Qin Sheng could enjoy the scenery on the sea .
Qin Sheng was going to leave Tsingtao the next day . He had bought a plane ticket to Shenzhen . So this dinner was to say goodbye . As Qin Sheng said, once they separated, it was hard to say when they would meet again . And even if they were to meet, they might pretend to be strangers .
Seafood restaurants on the beach were Qin Sheng’s favorite . Song Zhiqiu used to take Qin Sheng here to enjoy the beer, seafood, and barbeque . She knew his likes and dislikes . He disliked those gourmet restaurants and liked casual restaurants that made people relax . Most of the time, these restaurants were outdoors, but since it was freezing cold outside on this winter night, the restaurant now was arranged indoors .
They ordered many dishes of seafood and barbeque, covering the whole table . Song Zhiqiu and Qin Sheng were enjoying the local beer, which was well-known for its good taste .
Song Zhiqiu held up the mug and said, “I wish you have no more obstacles . I wish you have a bright future . I wish you find a beautiful and thoughtful wife . I wish you have your own home . ”
“Thank you . ” Qin Sheng showed his gratitude from the bottom of his heart .
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In a corner of the restaurant, Zhuang Zhou and Nan Gong were also enjoying the seafood . They followed Qin Sheng and Song Zhiqiu everywhere . For them, it was kind of like a business trip, and they both felt that they fell in love with this city while traveling around .
“I’ve booked plane tickets for us . You follow Qin Sheng tomorrow, and I’ll take another flight later . I booked you in first class, so you can board at the last minute and get off before others . He won’t find you there . ” Zhuang Zhou told his arrangement to Nan Gong, staring at Qin Sheng over there .
Nan Gong sighed and said, “It’s too exhausting recently . We just came to Tsingtao for a few days, but now we’re leaving for Shenzhen, and then going to Hong Kong . When can we stop?”
“I have no idea either . Let’s wait for the plan from Beijing . ” Zhuang Zhou simpered .
Nan Gong glanced at Qin Sheng and said, “When he goes back to Beijing, he must make up for what I’ve done for him, or I’ll make him pay a lot . ”
“You can try,” Zhuang Zhou said and giggled .
Mansion No . 8 on Laiyang Road was built by a construction company owned by the Song family . Most mansions in Tsingtao were built by the Song’s company . Their family members all lived in their own productions because it was economical and the family was also proud of them . But Song Zhiqiu was an exception . She wasn’t willing to live there .
Song Jianing, the cousin of Song Zhiqiu, lived there . Among the young generation of the Song family, he was closest to Song Zhiqiu . After Qin Sheng escaped from the engagement party, he, along with some underlings accompanying him, chased Qin Sheng for almost two months . If he didn’t have so much work to do, he would have kept chasing Qin Sheng until he caught him .
In the Song family, Song Jianing was the eldest grandson and Song Zhiqiu was the eldest granddaughter, and they were close to each other .
Song Jianing had gone on a business trip to Shanghai for the previous days and had just come back today . It was his habit to bring some gifts for Song Zhiqiu and invite her out to eat after his business trips .
And this should be today’s arrangement . Song Jianing called Song Zhiqiu, only to be told that she was occupied with something and was having a meal with a friend . Song Jianing felt something wrong .
Before this call, the company’s secretary had told him that Song Zhiqiu hadn’t gone to the company to work for four days, which was quite weird of her . In addition to this, he was told by another friend that Song Zhiqiu went out to sea by yacht with a strange man .
Song Jianing wanted to ask her about these things today, but never expected that she would not be free . He thought it over and over, suspecting that his sister was seeing somebody .
Then, Song Jianing called Xiaoliu, Song Zhiqiu’s driver, and said with the script in his mind, “Xiaoliu, where is Zhiqiu now? I called her but nobody answered . ”
“Hmm…” Xiaoliu said with hesitation .
Song Jianing realized his hesitation and then asked, “I already know about it . But the thing is if you’re faithful enough to tell me the truth . If you want this job, you’d better not lie, or you can leave tomorrow . Who’s the man with Zhiqiu these days?”
Song Jianing was pretending and making up a story . But the story he made up was exactly what happened these days . Xiaoliu, the driver, was so scared by Young Master Song’s words that he immediately told him everything he knew .
Song Jianing listened to Xiaoliu with his complexion clouding over . He hung up the phone and left for the restaurant to meet Song Zhiqiu and Qin Sheng .
New troubles were coming to Qin Sheng .
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