Chapter 1484
A Lover
Chapter 1484 A Lover
"Chief Lin, may I speak to you in private?"
The two went to the study, Jin Quan closed the door, and poured Lin Hao a cup of tea.
Jin Quan said apologetically, "I'm really sorry, my seventh son has been causing a lot of trouble lately!"
Shaking his head, Jin Quan complained, seemingly unintentionally:
"That rascal, he's never home, he doesn't do anything productive, he doesn't even attend banquets, all he does is chase after that female student!"
"I've told him so many times, but he won't listen. He still won't listen to me. What will happen to him in the future?"
Lin Hao smiled and said, "Seventh Young Master is still young. Perhaps he will settle down in a couple of years."
"Young?" Jin Quan said with a wry smile.
“When his older brother was his age, he was already helping to manage the family business!”
"He's hopeless. He's academically incompetent, and when he works at the bank, he's inconsistent in his work. He's useless at everything, all he knows is how to spend money!"
Lin Hao didn't reply. He knew Jin Quan wasn't really asking him a question, but just needed someone he could confide in.
"And that Leng Qingqiu~!" Jin Quan sighed again.
"I'm not saying the girl is bad, I'm just afraid that Lao Qi might act impulsively and cause some trouble!"
"He's the kind of person who doesn't think things through. Our two families originally intended to match him with Xiuzhu, but we never expected this!"
Jin Quan simply sighed, but Mrs. Jin chimed in:
"What kind of family is the Leng family? Their father died early, and they were raised by a widowed mother. They are not a good match for our Jin family."
"If he really marries that Leng Qingqiu, where will the Jin family put their face?"
Lin Hao picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and instead of responding to his words, quietly changed the subject:
"Don't worry, Chief of Staff Jin. The Seventh Young Master isn't a bad person at heart. Maybe he'll settle down once he gets married!"
"After all, young people have their own ideas. It's better to let things take their natural course than to forcefully interfere with them!"
"Men mature in an instant; when it comes time for them to support their families, they'll mature quickly!"
Lin Hao tried to persuade him from the side. To be honest, when Lin Hao watched the show, he didn't like Leng Qingqiu and Jin Yanxi very much!
In the original drama, they got together and then divorced. Lin Hao wanted to change their fate, so he either broke them up from the beginning or locked them together in a life-or-death situation.
But Lin Hao really had no feelings for Leng Qingqiu, so he decided to let this ill-fated couple be together, even if they suffered for the rest of their lives.
Jin Quan glanced at him, not expecting Lin Hao to speak well of his son, but it was a good thing nonetheless.
What surprised him even more was that Lin Hao seemed to favor Lao Qi and Leng Qingqiu more, which left him speechless for a moment!
Jin Quan glanced at Lin Hao, then suddenly changed the subject, saying, "By the way, Chief of Staff Lin, you're in your early thirties, aren't you?"
Thirty-one.
"I heard you're not married yet!"
Lin Hao paused slightly in his teacup, then smiled: "Chief Jin, what's this~!"
"I was just asking!" Jin Quan waved his hand, casually advising.
"At your age, it's time for you to settle down and start a family. It's not right for someone as talented as you from Beiyang to not have someone who cares about you and understands your needs!"
Lin Hao glanced at Jin Meili outside. Jin Quan didn't continue speaking. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and his eyes flickered behind the teacup.
······
Bai Xiongqi sat in the car on the way back, his eyes half-closed, his fingers tapping a rhythm on his thigh.
Bai Xiuzhu sat next to him, staring blankly at the night view outside the window.
“Xiuzhu,” Bai Xiongqi suddenly spoke.
"Ok?"
"You should let go of Jin Yanxi."
Bai Xiuzhu gripped her handbag tightly, remaining silent.
"To be honest, a playboy like Jin Yanxi is not a good match for you!" Bai Xiongqi said calmly.
"Judging from Jin Yanxi's behavior lately, you should know in your heart that he has never had any interest in you!"
"I know that you young people these days all dream of a perfect love where you admire each other and are mutually in love!"
"But the reality is, it's better to find someone who loves you than someone you love!"
"Besides~!"
Bai Xiuzhu remained silent for a long time before finally speaking in a very soft voice: "Brother, what exactly do you want me to do?"
"I didn't mean to do anything to you!" Bai Xiongqi opened his eyes and looked at her seriously, saying:
"I just want you to understand who is more trustworthy to entrust your life to, Jin Yanxi or Lin Hao!"
The streetlights outside the car window receded one by one, casting flickering light and shadow on Bai Xiuzhu's face.
She didn't answer, but Lin Hao's silhouette involuntarily appeared in her mind.
That figure moved unhurriedly, calmly and confidently, steadily and reliably, filling people with a sense of security, and unconsciously shifting the balance in their hearts towards it.
······
Jin Meili stood at the door, watching Lin Hao's car disappear through the gate, and waved goodbye reluctantly.
Mrs. He came out, draped a coat over her shoulders, and said, "Go inside, don't catch a cold!"
"Mom!" Jin Meili suddenly said, "Do you think Brother Lin Hao might have someone he likes?"
She wasn't stupid; she could naturally see the way Bai Xiuzhu looked at Lin Hao, and that was exactly what she was worried about: whether Lin Hao might have feelings for her best friend.
Looking at her daughter's rosy cheeks, Madam He sighed inwardly and said, "I don't know either. If you want to know, go ask him yourself!"
Kim Mi-ri looked down at her toes and said, "I'm not asking!"
Mrs. He didn't say anything more and pulled her into the house.
······
For the next period of time, Jin Yanxi pursued Leng Qingqiu relentlessly, and finally proposed to her in a sunflower field in front of everyone.
The sun was shining brightly that day, and vast fields of sunflowers were in full bloom, their golden color stretching to the horizon.
Leng Qingqiu stood in the middle of the flower field, wearing a moon-white dress, the wind making her skirt flutter gently.
Jin Yanxi took out a small brocade box from his pocket, knelt down on one knee, and looked up at her.
"Qingqiu, marry me!"
Leng Qingqiu lowered her head and looked at the brocade box in his hand for a long time.
Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and her lips pressed together repeatedly. She wanted to say no, that we weren't a good match, and even that your family wouldn't approve.
But she didn't say anything in the end. Jin Yanxi's eyes were overflowing with love, completely unlike the casual attitude of a playboy. It was a seriousness and determination she had never seen before.
Without much thought, she instinctively reached out and let Lin Hao put the ring on her finger.
The news that Jin Yanxi had successfully proposed to Leng Qingqiu in the sunflower field of Xishan spread like wildfire.
When the news reached the Jin family, Jin Quan was in his study reading documents. Mrs. Jin pushed open the door and entered, her face not looking too pleased, and said:
"Master, Seventh Brother proposed to that girl Leng Qingqiu. It's all over the place. Minzhi just called to tell me."
"You bastard!" Jin Quan slammed the documents in his hand on the table, stood up, and walked out.
"Slow down, sir!" Mrs. Jin called after him, but he ignored her and strode through the corridor, heading straight for Jin Yanxi's room.
Jin Yanxi wasn't there. Jin Quan stood at the door, his face ashen. Mrs. Jin followed him, tugged at his sleeve, and advised:
"Don't rush, let's talk about it when he gets back!"
"Wait for him to come back? By the time he comes back, it'll be too late!" Jin Quan turned and went to the main hall, instructing Jin Fengju:
"No matter what method you use, bring Lao Qi back immediately!"
Jin Yanxi was dragged back from a small restaurant near Luohua Hutong by the servants of the Jin family.
When he entered the main hall, Jin Quan was sitting in the main seat, Mrs. Jin was sitting next to him, Jin Fengju was leaning back on the sofa with his legs crossed, Wang Yufen was standing at the door watching the commotion, and several of the Jin family's sisters had also returned.
"Kneel down!" Jin Quan's voice wasn't loud, but the atmosphere in the entire main hall suddenly dropped.
Jin Yanxi didn't move. Although he felt very guilty, he stubbornly refused to kneel down.
"I said kneel down!" Jin Quan roared.
Jin Yanxi bit his lip, but finally gave in and slowly knelt down.
"Do you even care about this family anymore?" Jin Quan's voice trembled as he shouted.
"Did you discuss your marriage proposal with your family?"
Do you know what people are saying outside? The son of a national minister, kneeling before a commoner female student—where do you expect me to put my face?
"Father, I'm going to marry her, even if you don't agree." Jin Yanxi laid his cards on the table, kneeling on the ground and raising his head, his eyes red as he spoke.
Jin Quan was so angry that his hands were trembling. He grabbed the teacup on the table and smashed it at Jin Yanxi's feet.
The teacup fell to the ground, scattering shards of porcelain everywhere.
Mrs. Jin cried out in surprise, but Jin Yanxi did not flinch; he remained kneeling there motionless.
"If you want to marry her, get out of this house!" Jin Quan pointed to the door. "Get out! Get out now!"
Jin Yanxi stood up, turned around and left.
Mrs. Jin chased after him and grabbed his arm at the door, advising, "Seventh Brother! Your father was just saying that in anger, don't take it seriously!"
Jin Yanxi stopped, head bowed, his voice choked with emotion: "Mom, I really want to marry her, I'm serious!"
Mrs. Jin looked at his face, then turned to look at Jin Quan, who was trembling with anger in the main hall, and sighed deeply.
She actually knew that the reason Jin Quan disagreed was simply because Lao Qi had made a lifelong engagement with another woman without his consent, disrupting his series of plans.
Knowing where the problem lay, he pulled Jin Yanxi aside and whispered:
“If you really want to marry that girl, don’t argue with your father. The more you argue, the less he will agree.”
“Go back first. I’ll talk to him again in a couple of days after he’s calmed down. It would be best if your father could meet the girl first and see what kind of person she really is.”
After Jin Yanxi left, Mrs. Jin returned to the main hall, poured Jin Quan a cup of tea, and advised him:
“Master, the more you try to stop the seventh son, the more energetic he becomes.”
"Minzhi said that girl is talented and not the kind of person who covets wealth. Why don't we meet her first? If she is indeed a good girl, and Lao Qi insists on marrying her, there's no point in us stopping him."
"If the Bai family can solidify our position through marriage, that would be best, but it doesn't really matter if we don't."
"Given our family's status, even a marriage alliance might not be reliable!"
"Besides, not everyone is suitable for a marriage alliance. If we really want one, we still have our eighth son!"
Jin Quan picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then put it down.
Indeed, given their family's circumstances, there was no need for them to be overly concerned about a marriage alliance with the Bai family.
His wife was right. With Lin Hao as a better option, it didn't matter whether the Bai family formed a marriage alliance or not.
Besides, how could the mere Bai family compare to Lin Hao, a favorite of the President?
After the incident involving the soldiers' personal accounts, anyone with a brain would know that Lin Hao, the president's favorite, has a limitless future and will inevitably become an important figure in the Beiyang warlords.
······
The following afternoon, Lin Hao was in the State Council office.
Jin Quan had just come out of the conference room with a stack of documents in his hand when Lin Hao stood up with a smile to greet him:
"Chief of Staff Kim, I was just about to tell you this."
As Lin Hao spoke, he pulled a document from his briefcase and said:
"The arrangements in Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces have been completed. The roster of soldiers has been made and the accounts have been opened. We are just waiting for the pay to be sent directly to the soldiers through the bank. We need your signature here."
Jin Quan took the document, flipped through it, looked up at Lin Hao, and said with a hint of admiration in his eyes:
"Chief Lin, you're really quick! You've taken care of two more!"
"Last month we were saying that things weren't going well with Lao Zhang, but this month it's all done. Now that we've secured Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces, it seems Lao Zhang can't cause any more trouble."
"Hahaha~!" Lin Hao laughed and said:
"Although Old Zhang came from a bandit background, he is very shrewd and knows what the general trend is."
"Now that Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces have yielded, if we talk to him again, I think he'll still be willing to cooperate!"
"just in case!"
"There's no 'what if'!" Lin Hao smiled and said confidently.
Then Lin Hao changed the subject and said with some helplessness, "If we're talking about trouble, it's the Land of Abundance. I really can't do anything about it right now."
Jin Quan frowned: "What's wrong with the Land of Abundance?"
"Without a unified administrative system, Governor Chen is powerless to change his mind!" Lin Hao shook his head and said.
"The province is riddled with factions, divided into dozens of factions and cliques. They fight each other, with small battles every three days and big battles every five days!"
"At the beginning of the year, the President sent three mixed brigades into Sichuan, and we thought things would go smoothly!"
"The outcome is still out of control; the taxes that should be collected are still not being collected, and there are still many conflicts with the local troops!"
"Logically speaking, after fighting so fiercely, there should have been heavy casualties. But according to Governor Chen, after more than a hundred battles in the past six months, the total number of dead is less than five hundred!"
"It even made me wonder if these warlords in Sichuan were putting us on a show. In the end, I realized just how complicated things were in Sichuan!"
"There are multiple layers of overlapping and intersecting elements, including the Gelaohui (a secret society), gentry, bandits, and warlords, as well as infiltration from Yunnan and Guizhou!"
At this point, Lin Hao said with lingering fear, "Good heavens, it was a complete mess!"
"When the central government sends out documents, they all pay lip service to them while secretly resisting them. What about fiscal reform? Soldiers' accounts?"
"Ha, they can't even keep their own accounts straight, how could they care about these things?"
"I heard that their taxes have been collected for thirty years. At this rate, it wouldn't be surprising if they collected them for a hundred years!"
(End of this chapter)