Chapter 58: Two Fires (Please add to your favorites, please vote for recommendations!)

It all began with beauty as the root of every trouble!

The eldest son, whom he had chosen as his successor, had actually competed with his own father for a woman—and had acted first, no less. This was a family scandal, and scandals should never be aired in public. Master Qin the Seventh was well aware that if this matter were to leak out, the Qin family would become the laughingstock of Ice City.

As for the second son, he had hoped the boy would support his elder brother to strengthen the Qin clan. Yet now it appeared that the younger son had developed ambitions he ought not to have.

After such a commotion, it was impossible for the two brothers to return to the former harmony of “elder cherishing the younger, younger respecting the elder.”

Master Qin the Seventh was so incensed he nearly suffered another stroke.

Both rebellious sons now knelt on the study floor.

“Father, if it weren’t for my younger brother being manipulated, how would this have happened?” Qin Xiong’s hatred for Qin Lang was palpable.

“If you hadn’t done what you did, who could have manipulated me?” Qin Lang retorted, bracing his neck defiantly. “I only told Father the truth. That woman is to be Father’s future concubine, yet you coveted her—what kind of person does that make you?”

“You ungrateful wretches! Both of you have let a woman toy with you, and you’re still spouting nonsense here?” Master Qin the Seventh was beside himself with rage.

Qin Xiong kept silent, realizing he had underestimated the woman, Bai Yulan.

“Father, what did I do wrong? Am I supposed to have known about it and helped my brother hide it from you?” Qin Lang knelt, lifting his head as he asked.

Master Qin the Seventh was taken aback.

Indeed, though the second son had been used, he had immediately reported the matter. Was that wrong?

In contrast, the eldest had schemed in secret, deceiving his father. That was truly unfilial and disloyal.

“Father, I was wrong—it’s not my brother’s fault. I harbored thoughts I shouldn’t have!” Realizing the old man’s suspicions, Qin Xiong quickly admitted fault. He hadn’t expected his usually dull-acting brother to have such a sharp tongue—he had clearly underestimated him.

“Eldest, stay home with Xiaozhen these next few days. Let Hou Wu handle the matters at the Qunfang House,” Master Qin the Seventh ordered, glaring at Qin Xiong sprawled on the floor.

“Yes, Father.” Qin Xiong nodded. As long as the Qunfang House wasn’t handed to the younger brother, he still had a chance.

Qin Lang didn’t mind; after all, Master Qin’s partiality was well-known. This time, letting the eldest suffer a setback was a good thing.

At the very least, Master Qin wouldn’t trust the eldest as blindly as before.

No matter how generous a man is, there are two things he will not relinquish: power and women. Power needs no explanation—without it, one is nothing. Women are a matter of pride; without pride, how can one stand tall?

But did the eldest really think it was over?

This was only the beginning.

He had already bribed the maidservant at his sister-in-law Jin Yazhen’s side, leaking the news of the eldest forcing Bai Yulan to become his mistress.

Once the eldest returned home, there would be no peace in his household.

At this point, how could anyone expect gentleness, respect, frugality, or humility?

If the eldest truly inherited everything, what chance would he have left? The matter of Bai Yulan was the perfect opportunity.

...

Qin Lang’s spark had set fire to Master Qin the Seventh’s inner residence; the conflict was now nearly out in the open. Meanwhile, at the Ningxiang Pavilion, another fire broke out at night.

But this fire was swiftly snuffed out as soon as it sparked.

“Chief Luan, I truly didn’t expect it to be you.” Bai Yulan looked at the man pinned to the ground by Wu En, her eyes reflecting both disbelief and a hint of pain.

“Boss Bai, you’ve treated me well, but you’re a woman. Women can never achieve great things. How much longer can you hold on to the Ningxiang Pavilion?” Though captured, Chief Luan refused to yield, stiffening his neck as he tried to persuade her.

“What of it? Can a woman not have her own enterprise or accomplish anything? That’s no reason for your betrayal!” Bai Yulan rebuked him angrily.

“I didn’t betray you. I only hoped you would face reality. You’re surrounded by wolves—if you survive this time, what about the next? Will you still be so lucky?” There was a trace of pity in Chief Luan’s eyes.

“Speak. Who put you up to this?” Bai Yulan cut straight to the point.

“No one. I acted on my own.”

“If you won’t say, then tomorrow I’ll hand you over to the police. We’ll see how stubborn you remain at the station.”

Chief Luan still kept his mouth shut. Being handed over to the authorities might not be a bad outcome; with his patron’s connections, he could likely be released with a bit of maneuvering.

Bai Yulan was too naïve.

“Wu En, keep a close eye on him, secure the evidence, and hand him to the police tomorrow,” Bai Yulan instructed.

“Yes, Boss Bai.” Wu En nodded. Justice was sacred to him, and he could not tolerate arson of this kind.

Wu En took Chief Luan away to be guarded.

“Sister Lan, Chief Luan always seemed like a decent person. How could he do such a thing?” Ah Xiang asked angrily.

Bai Yulan sighed. “It’s hard to truly know a person’s heart. There are too many willing to risk everything for petty gain. You haven’t seen enough yet, but you will.”

“Who’s behind Chief Luan?”

“I don’t know. He won’t say. But we had only just brought back the cotton cloth, and already someone tried to set a fire. The person behind this must be truly malicious!” Bai Yulan had her suspicions, but she said nothing to Ah Xiang.

“Yes, when we catch him, we must make sure he’s punished!”

“All right, go get some sleep. The sun will be up in a few hours.” Bai Yulan patted her gently on the back.

...

Get up, wash, dress carefully, go downstairs, eat breakfast.

Go to work.

This was Zhou Sen’s usual routine. Though perhaps a little dull, it was already as perfect as most people could wish for.

He had money, didn’t need to scheme all day long like his colleagues to make a living, could spend his leisure hours watching movies, enjoying the theater, sipping coffee, and brooding over the world’s sorrows.

But those days were gone for good.

He stopped shaving completely—now he left a thin line above his upper lip. He needed to appear more mature, to make a change in his image.

“Irina, you don’t need to wait for me for dinner tonight. I might be home late,” Zhou Sen said as he ate breakfast.

“Yes, Young Master Wasim.”

“When you have time, check the post offices for any letters addressed to us.”

“All right, I’ll drop by after I go out shopping for groceries.”

...

After breakfast, Zhou Sen rode his bicycle to work. He hadn’t gone to the station yesterday, so he arrived early today.

Strictly speaking, he was no longer counted as a member of the Security Division, but his transfer to the Special Affairs Division hadn’t been finalized, and no official appointment had been made.

The rank of Police Lieutenant was enough for an official commission, so he needed to wait for the official letter from the authorities before he could take office.

For now, he was still part of the Security Division. Old Gu had already assumed the acting role of chief, and until the official appointment came, Zhou Sen had a bit of freedom to hand over his duties.

“Zhou Sen, congratulations!” Guo Guangkun, another patrol leader, greeted him with a smile. “Transferred to Special Affairs—what a plum position!”

“Heh, honestly, I’d rather stay in Security. It’s peaceful and there’s less to worry about,” Zhou Sen replied.

“You’re just being modest. Lots of people would kill for the chance. Want to trade places?” Guo joked.

“Sure, if the higher-ups agree, I have no objection.”

...

“I heard Boss Bai closed the Ningxiang Pavilion. What a shame—we could have gone there tonight…”

“Ice City has more than just the Ningxiang Pavilion. We could try the Qunfang House or the Grand View Garden,” chimed in a colleague from the Economics Section.

“Right, Qunfang House has hired lots of pretty girls recently. I heard many who left the Ningxiang Pavilion went there, and it’s much cheaper, too!”

“Really? Qunfang House is really going all out to defeat Ningxiang Pavilion…”

They were only trying to coax him into treating them to drinks and entertainment at Qunfang House. But how could he agree?

He firmly refused.

Last time at Ningxiang Pavilion, his predecessor had died there. Qunfang House was Bai Yulan’s bitter rival—even if Qin Xiong didn’t know of his existence, Zhou Sen wouldn’t dare risk it.

A wise man does not stand where the wall is about to collapse. He understood that well.

“Enough, you lot. Stop bullying Zhou Sen,” Section Chief Song Pinyuan arrived just in time, saving him from the crowd and calling him into the office.

“Zhou Sen, Mr. Qiushan has had you transferred to Special Affairs. Work hard and don’t let him down.”

“Yes, Chief. I’ll never forget your support and guidance,” Zhou Sen replied quickly.

“I think highly of you. You’ll shine in Special Affairs and bring honor to our Security Division,” Song Pinyuan smiled.

“Chief, please look out for Gu when I’m gone.”

“Don’t worry. After you leave, the position of patrol leader will be his. I promise you that.”

“Thank you, Chief.” Though Song’s promise might not be ironclad, it was still a gesture of goodwill.

“The Security Division will always be your home. Come by for tea any time.”

Song Pinyuan was clearly trying to stay on friendly terms, and Zhou Sen understood. For now, he was favored by Mr. Qiushan and was something of a rising star at the Nangang Station.

But who knew how long that favor would last? One moment they put you in the palm of their hand, the next they could throw you into hell.

The Japanese were notoriously capricious, and he had never trusted them.

Returning from the station to the warehouse on Haicheng Street, Wu En had come back and reported the attempted arson at the Ningxiang Pavilion the night before.

The culprit had been caught—it was Luan Yuanhui, the head of the Pavilion’s guard, and he had already been handed over to the Zhengyang Police.

The plan he and Bai Yulan had set up—to swap the real for the fake—was a precaution against anyone making desperate moves or using underhanded tricks.

He hadn’t expected someone to make a move so soon, the very same night.

With this fire, Su Wenqing was finished.

The question now was, what would happen with the Qin family? With the second son learning of the eldest’s behavior, what would he choose to do?

He would have to find an opportunity to inquire further.