Qin Tian, then he put out his cigar. He could not help but recognize Ye Qian’s eloquence. Based on what he heard from his own daughter Qin Yue, and Zhang Qiang, this young man was not simple. He had a maturity and experience that an ordinary young man did not have, but he also had the hot-bloodedness and passion of a youth. In the future he would certainly temper a different kind of heaven and earth.
“If you had to chose between two roads laid out before you, on one road the journey is wonderful, but the outcome is ordinary; on the other road the journey is ordinary but the outcome can be exceptionally great. Which road would you pick?” Qin Tian asked.
Ye Qian could not help staring a bit. Qin Tian’s words seemed to have another meaning but he could not figure out what it was at the moment. “For this hypothetical question, I make no reply.” Ye Qian said Qin Tian’s previous reply back at him.
Qin Tian stared, and then guffawed and said, “It seems there are things that we are similar in. But what if I tell you that this is not a hypothetical question? How will you answer?”
“Forgive xiaozi’s ignorance, I don’t know what Uncle Qin means?” Ye Qian asked.
Qin Tian laughed, then said, “Let’s not talk about this for now. I heard, xianzhi…”
“Just call me Ye Qian!” Ye Qian interrupted.
“Very well. I heard from Yue’er that you used to live in the Middle East and only returned to China recently, is that correct?” Qin Tian asked.
“Correct, I haven’t been back long.” Ye Qian replied.
“Then what do you intended to do next? Any plans for your future?” Qin Tian asked.
“That’s hard to answer.” Ye Qian chuckled. “In terms of the far future, I’d like to get married and have a wife, have a kid, then live peacefully for the rest our lives.”
Ye Qian played himself down but Qin Tian would not call him out on it. He understood that Ye Qian was not making excuses, he just did not want to say what his plans were. Qin Tian naturally would not pursue the question. He had lived on this earth for many years and gone through many trials and hardships, he was already very experienced and knew when to not push it. “But sometimes to live peacefully for the rest of your life is not easy, you’d have to bear humiliation and pressure.” Qin Tian said.
Ye Qian laughed and said, “Haha, perhaps. It’s not clear to me yet either.”
Dispute when you have to, pretend to be naive when you have to, Qin Tian had to admit defeat. Ye Qian was difficult to battle against. He thought to himself, if Ye Qian became his opponent in the future, he would not be able to guess who would win. “Ye Qian, you are the most daring young man I have ever met. Very few people are as calm and collected as you are when speaking to me. In truth, I admire you.” Qin Tian said.
“Uncle Qin is flattering me too much, xiaozi is overwhelmed.” Ye Qian replied in a humble manner.
“You haven’t been home for very long, but it also has been quite a number of days since, yes? What do you think about the situation in Shanghai?” Qin Tian asked.
“In a word, turbulent.” Ye Qian said.
Clearly this was not the answer Qin Tian wanted. What he wanted was for Ye Qian to analyze the situation of Shanghai in detail. In this way he would be able to tell how much Qin Yue said about Ye Qian was true, that Ye Qian was a cultivated young man, so much so that he could be his successor. But after carefully mulling over Ye Qian’s reply, he could not help but admit that it was true. Even though it was simple, it described Shanghai clearly, it was indeed turbulent. “Then how do you think the Hongmen should live on?” Qin Tian continued asking.
Ye Qian muttered to himself for a moment, then asked, “Can my answer influence your decision?”
“No!” Qin Tian replied firmly.
Ye Qian shrugged and laughed and said, “Then whether I reply or not is unimportant. Why do you still need to know my opinion? Perhaps my idea is the opposite of yours and would make you judge me.”
Qin Tian stared and then laughed, “There’s no harm in saying.”
After a moment of silence, Ye Qian said, “I will only ask Uncle Qin one question. Who do you think has a bigger chance of winning if the Hongmen and Qing Gang went to war? Or perhaps, who do you think will gain the most benefit?”
Qin Tian wrinkled his brows and became quiet. It was not that he had never considered this question himself before. It was just that he felt he needed to think it over some more since Ye Qian was asking it. Ye Qian did not speak. He just minded his own business and pulled out his own cigarette, not disturbing Qin Tian. Ye Qian naturally understood that a large organisation like the Hongmen was not lacking in talented people, they would have already thought of this in advance. But, just like Ye Qian said, there were certain things that what you wanted was not the outcome, but the journey. That was why Qin Tian became silent.
In the beginning, the powers in Shanghai paid no attention to Ye Qian. But in their short confrontation just a moment ago, Qin Tian already considered Ye Qian to be a formidable rival. Even though he was not one right now, he would be in the future, so he had to think over again the question he neglected earlier.
Qin Tian’s wrinkled brows slowly relaxed after a long time. He looked at Ye Qian and said, “Ye QIan, I have discovered that I am liking you more and more.”
Ye Qian laughed and said, “Uncle Qin, I already have a girlfriend.”
Qin Tian stared, then laughed. With one statement the mood was not as gloomy as before. The confrontational atmosphere was now gone. “I’m going to Nanjing after a few days, do you have time? Come with me.” Qin Tian said.
“Nanjing? Ancient capital of the sixth dynasty, I’ve always wanted to go see it, I just never got the opportunity.” Ye Qian said. Even though he did not know what Qin Tian’s plans were, Ye Qian was not afraid that he would play tricks to deal with him. Firstly, Qin Tian was not that kind of person, secondly, Qin Tian had no reason to fight Ye Qian. The biggest enemy of the Hongmen right now as not himself. He believed that Qin Tian would not set up an enemy for himself in such urgent times. The only reason must be that Qin Tian wanted to entice him, even if that was not a hundred percent true, it was certainly a part of it.
“Then that is a yes. Haha!” Qin Tian laughed and said. “I will contact you when the time comes.”
“I have a question, is ticket to the place and returning from the place going to be paid for by Uncle Qin?” Ye Qian smiled faintly.
Qin Tian stared and then laughed and said, “Yes, yes, return, refund and exchange, haha.”