CHAPTER 419: CHAPTER 419: CONCESSIONS

Upon hearing Qin Chi Jin’s arrival, Elder Meng instructed the servant to prepare some fruit and snacks, then returned to his room.

A while later, Qin Chi Jin was introduced and led in.

Two young men accompanied him.

One of them was wearing sunglasses.

Elder Meng glanced at him and felt a sense of familiarity but was certain he had never met him before.

Therefore, his gaze stayed on the man for only a fleeting moment before shifting away.

Qin Chi Jin addressed Elder Meng as "Uncle."

Elder Meng indeed belonged to the same generation as his father.

With a slight nod, Elder Meng remarked curiously, "Chi Jin, what brings you to visit an old man like me today?"

"I thought it’d been quite a while since I visited Uncle," Qin Chi Jin said with a smiling face, placing the gifts he’d brought on the table.

Elder Meng did not believe that the reason for Qin Chi Jin’s visit was simply to see an old man out of idle curiosity.

Yet Qin Chi Jin merely engaged in casual conversation, chatting about daily life and even expressing concern about what Elder Meng had been up to recently.

The longer Elder Meng listened, the more puzzled he became, uncertain of Qin Chi Jin’s intentions.

Before long, the sound of a car arriving could be heard outside.

Someone walked in from outside: "Dad, Mom, I’m back."

It was none other than the second daughter-in-law, Xia Yuezhen.

She carried numerous bags in her hands and remarked, "Dad, I just bought some fresh fish at the market. Look how fresh they are!"

Elder Meng nodded; every morning, Xia Yuezhen would go to the market to buy groceries. Although he had told her time and again that these tasks could be handled by the servants, she insisted that the servants weren’t skilled at picking the best produce, always preferring to do things herself.

Elder Meng greatly appreciated this diligent and practical daughter-in-law. She stood in stark contrast to his eldest son’s family, who only occupied themselves with making money.

In the past, Elder Meng had always thought that the second son was idle and liked to waste his days away—a far cry from the ambition of the eldest son, and thus not as promising. But now, having grown old, he realized that the eldest son rarely stayed around and only came back during holidays.

Conversely, he began to feel that the second son was better. At least the second son stayed by his side, letting him enjoy the joys of fatherhood.

The second son had also given him a grandson and granddaughter, even though they were now attending school in the city. They would still return to keep him company over the weekends.

Elder Meng sincerely felt that this kind of family life was what he truly wanted.

After Xia Yuezhen had put her things away, her gaze fell upon the people present, and she asked curiously, "When did we have guests? And you didn’t notify us beforehand?"

As soon as she recognized Qin Chi Jin, her expression froze.

It was him!

Qin Chi Jin politely nodded at Xia Yuezhen.

Xia Yuezhen hadn’t expected Qin Chi Jin to show up here but suppressed any reaction. Instead, she enthusiastically said, "Is that Chi Jin? How’s your brother doing? I heard recently that Yu Mo got into some trouble, which had me worried for a while."

Although the Qin Family and the Meng Family rarely interacted, Xia Yuezhen’s words made it seem as if their relationship was close.

Qin Chi Jin curled his lips slightly—what a wily fox.

Two seasoned schemers had crossed paths, Qin Chi Jin observed, and he wondered who was the stronger opponent.

But he held an ace up his sleeve.

"My brother’s doing fine. Yu Mo was sent abroad. For those who don’t listen, even if it’s his own son, my brother won’t show mercy," Qin Chi Jin said at a deliberate pace.

Xia Yuezhen listened and understood his implicit message but feigned ignorance.

"That’s true; if a child is mischievous, they need to be disciplined to toughen up," she said, letting the conversation continue while she took the groceries to the kitchen.

For a brief moment, the living room grew quiet. Elder Meng looked toward Qin Chi Jin and said, "Chi Jin, why don’t you stay for dinner?"

"Uncle, you’re too kind," Qin Chi Jin responded with his characteristic smile. "But I’ll gladly take you up on your offer."

Elder Meng: "..."

He had only made a polite gesture. Earlier, Qin Chi Jin had chatted at length without diving into any real purpose for his visit, leading Elder Meng to believe that perhaps his visit truly was just a friendly check-in.

But now, it seemed that wasn’t the case.

Qin Chi Jin then turned his gaze toward Cheng Lie and said to Elder Meng, "By the way, Uncle, I’d like to introduce a young man to you. His name is Cheng Lie, and he has great talent in scientific research. Would you consider collaborating with him?"

Elder Meng had a sudden realization—so this was the true reason for his visit today.

Only now did Elder Meng take a closer look at the vaguely familiar young man.

Wearing sunglasses, his expression was cold. However, when he noticed Elder Meng’s scrutiny, he pursed his lips slightly and nodded respectfully.

What a timid young man, Elder Meng thought.

Unable to suppress his curiosity, Elder Meng asked, "Why is this young man still wearing sunglasses indoors?"

Qin Chi Jin smiled and explained, "He was targeted by someone—a stroke of bad luck. He originally wanted to seek out his father but unexpectedly ran into a group who wanted to kill him. Fortunately, he managed to survive, though his eyesight was damaged. Now he can barely see."

Elder Meng, who had fought hard to establish the Meng Family business, had encountered many of the dark, cunning tactics people used. Hearing this, he was somewhat enlightened.

However, he was still curious about what had prompted such danger during the search for his father.

He couldn’t help but ask Cheng Lie, "What happened to your father?"

"He disappeared many years ago."

Elder Meng furrowed his brow, thinking this young man was indeed unfortunate. For some reason, his thoughts suddenly turned to his own estranged daughter, wondering if she might also face such struggles in her search for him.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Xia Yuezhen was slicing vegetables. Upon hearing that Qin Chi Jin would be staying for dinner, she felt uneasy.

She couldn’t fathom the reason behind his sudden appearance or whether it had anything to do with settling scores with her.

After all, why would someone with no connection to the Meng Family suddenly show up here?

Surely, he was here for her.

If that were the case... Xia Yuezhen decided she couldn’t avoid the issue. She would simply apologize and perhaps offer some small concessions—maybe even some monetary benefit. She doubted Qin Chi Jin would go to such lengths for Cheng Lie.

After all, what could this parentless, formerly autistic young man bring to the table?

But if she could facilitate cooperation between Cheng Lie and the Meng Family, it could bring tremendous profits—millions, at least—to him.

Though she didn’t like Qin Chi Jin and felt he fell short of his brother’s accomplishments, she understood that he was still part of the Qin Family. Offending the Qin Family would not end well for her.

Determined, she decided to talk to Qin Chi Jin later.

Lost in these thoughts, she accidentally cut her finger, fresh blood pouring out.

The sharp pain made her furrow her brow tightly. Damn it, how could she be so careless as to injure herself?

During lunchtime.

Old Mrs. Meng appeared. Unlike the stern Elder Meng, she was kinder and more approachable, warmly inviting Qin Chi Jin and Cheng Lie to eat more.