Chapter 20

Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

Cheng Juan looked down and paused a little.

He had been contacting these undisclosed numbers recently.

Outside the car, Qin Ran realized that her mobile phone had fallen. She turned around and walked back, leaned slightly, bent her fingers, and knocked casually on the window.

Raising his eyebrows, Cheng Juan reached out and lowered the window.

She lowered her eyes half-heartedly and indifferently and was quite apologetic. “I dropped my phone.”

Cheng Juan looked down, picked up the phone, and handed it to her. His fingers were long and beautiful, and his voice was dull. “I know, your phone is ringing.”

Qin Ran took the phone, her expression still the same, and said casually, “It’s for promotion.”

Ever since the software for undisclosed numbers was developed, there were indeed many undisclosed numbers now.

Entering the hotel, Qin Ran lowered her head and sent a message to Ning Qing.

The undisclosed number called again.

She walked to the end of the corridor without changing her expression, took out the earphones in her pocket, turned on the microphone, and connected the phone.

“The other party raised the amount. Fifty times.” The voice was obviously processed, and there was a slight current. “Do you want to come out of seclusion?”

Qin Ran: “…”

She leaned against the wall and didn’t speak for a while.

After a long while.

Qin Ran said, “Who is that idiot?”

“Huh?” The person on the other end of the phone was shocked.

“I asked, which fool ordered me. Give me his details.” Qin Ran smirked and coiled the earphone cable around her fingertips.

Hearing Qin Ran’s relaxed attitude, the person on the phone hung up happily.

It didn’t take long for the specific details to be sent to Qin Ran’s mailbox.

Not walking away, Qin Ran changed her posture, leaned back against the wall, and opened the data unhurriedly.

As she looked at the messages, her veins jumped again.

She texted back one word—

[Okay.]

Simple and crisp.

**

Hearing that Lin Jinxuan was about to arrive, Ning Qing waited downstairs for a long time.

In the evening, the Lin family’s driver had picked her up and didn’t have time to go pick up Qin Yu. Since Lin Jinxuan was passing by, he helped to pick up Qin Yu and Qin Ran.

Ning Qing was somewhat flattered.

Lin Jinxuan had always been cold to her all these years, but once Qin Yu was involved, he was much better to get along with.

Since her stepson was fetching her daughter, she naturally had to wait downstairs.

“Jinxuan, we really troubled you.” Ning Qing smiled slightly. Carrying a bag, she had a calm elegance on her beautiful face.

Getting out of the car, Lin Jinxuan’s eyes were very light and he was very handsome and gentle. “It’s nothing.”

Lin Jinxuan was very busy lately, and even at home, he was always on the phone.

He looked extremely worried as if something had happened, so Ning Qing and Lin Qi didn’t bother him much.

Now that he was here, Lin Jinxuan also didn’t talk much. He was very polite and greeted Ning Qing the moment he got off the car.

Ning Qing watched Qin Yu get down from the car.

The door in the back seat never opened.

Right now, Lin Jinxuan was about to drive away.

She glanced at the backseat. “Jinxuan, where is Qin Ran? Didn’t she come along?”

Lin Jinxuan already had his hands on the key. Hearing this sentence, he was silent for several seconds before raising his head, pressing his temples and say in a stunned voice, “Sorry, I was too busy and forgot about her. Do you know her phone number? I’ll go pick her up now.”

It turned out she had been forgotten.

Ning Qing nodded. Her fingers moved, but her tone was mild and gentle. “It’s all right, I’ll let her take a taxi by herself. You’re so busy recently, you don’t need to pick her up.”

Lin Jinxuan was indeed not such a gentleman, and he was also very busy. “Give me her phone number later and I’ll apologize to her.”

Once Lin Jinxuan left, Ning Qing pressed her temples and pulled out her cell phone to call Qin Ran.

She didn’t pick up.

“Mom, I’m sorry. I didn’t think of it…” Qin Yu walked into the venue and handed her violin to Aunt Zhang apologetically.

Ning Qing hung up a little impatiently since Qin Ran wasn’t answering. “It’s okay. It has nothing to do with you.”

She called twice in a row again, but Qin Ran still didn’t answer. At first, she was angry, but when she thought of the process, she felt a little uncomfortable.

If it had been Qin Yu, Lin Jinxuan would definitely have gone back to pick her up.

Even if she didn’t have time, Ning Qing would have gone to pick her up personally and wouldn’t have just glossed over it.

In the end, it was because she was Qin Ran, not Qin Yu.

She hadn’t gotten along with Qin Ran for twelve years now and had already drifted away. Especially since Qin Ran had a stiff temper and was so cold and proud. She was so hard and didn’t say nice stuff like Qin Yu did.

So many relatives had come to Yun Cheng just to see how well Ning Qing was doing.

They weren’t actually there to see Chen Shulan, they just wanted to better their relationships with Ning Qing.

Ning Qing knew what the relatives were thinking. She looked down on them but didn’t want to disgrace herself either.

On such an occasion, Qin Ran could be absent, but Qin Yu couldn’t. Qin Yu was the reason for her proud existence.

As for Qin Ran…

There were no secrets between this group of relatives. If they asked about why Qin Ran was still in her senior year…

Ning Qing sighed. She shoved her phone back into her pocket and took Qin Yu up the stairs.

After a while, the group of relatives was almost all there.

Chen Shulan bowed her head and watched as Ning Qing was surrounded by everyone. She then asked, “Where’s Ran Ran, why isn’t she here?”

Ning Qing paused. Out of the corner of her eyes, she happened to see a thin figure coming in.

The person was loosely dressed in a First Middle School’s uniform jacket and wore a white T-shirt inside. The private room was dark and noisy. Everyone was extravagant, and she was the only one frowning.

“Isn’t she here?” Ning Qing said.

Chen Shulan saw her too.

Qin Ran was dazzling wherever she went. Her raised eyebrows were sharp and straight, and everyone noticed her presence when she entered the room.

“Grandma, where’s Aunt?” Qin Ran took Chen Shulan’s left hand and asked. She looked around the room and finally saw Ning Wei standing at a corner helplessly.

“Big niece, really, I haven’t seen you for many years. You are getting younger and younger.” A middle-aged woman held Ning Qing’s hand affectionately. “Oh, this must be Qin Yu. She is so pretty. I heard that she even played the violin on TV. How proud you must be…”

Qin Ran heard Ning Qing’s reserved and joyful voice. “Come, Yu’er, this is my brother’s wife. She doesn’t need me to worry about her since young. Now, she’s in First Middle School’s first class…”

Qin Ran had never seen these relatives before and basically didn’t know them.

She also knew that these relatives had come for Ning Qing and Qin Yu, so she was too lazy and indifferent to interact with them as well.

Excusing herself to Chen Shulan, she went to find Ning Wei.

Ning Wei stood in a corner pinching the corner of her clothes helplessly; her clothes were clean but obviously old.

“Ran Ran.” Her eyes lit up at the sight of Qin Ran, and her voice raised slightly.

Qin Ran paused for a while. She then held her cell phone and inhaled. “Aunt, why aren’t you sitting down?”

“There are no stools. I can just stand.” Ning Wei laughed, then stared at the equally restrained girl beside her. “Mu Ying, this is your cousin, Ran Ran.”

Before Mu Ying spoke, she saw Qin Ran move.

Qin Ran didn’t say anything and just glanced around.

Her gaze was unspeakable cold.

Cold and dry.

There was a stool not far away with a violin placed on it.

She seemed to sigh with an irritable and very angry expression on her face, then squeezed her fingers and walked over.

Before her slender fingers touched the violin, a sharp voice exploded beside her. “This violin is worth 580,000. Ms. Qin, don’t touch it!”