No One Knows [Rebirth] - Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Character OOC is Truly…

She had forgotten.

Qin Yu was currently the pampered little darling of her parents, not the miserable soul with no one to rely on. For a very long time, all her exhaustion, weariness, and sorrow—every negative emotion—could only, and would only, be shared with Tang Ruibai.

That was why, when she felt exhausted today, she had subconsciously sought out Tang Ruibai. She was simply used to Tang Ruibai being her harbor.

President Qin’s question was like a clap of thunder on a clear day. It startled Qin Yu, but it also forced her to pull herself together.

—I cannot be such a leaky bucket anymore!

Breaking character was truly fatal!

Though she believed her parents loved her enough that they wouldn’t call the police even if she confessed she was reborn, why bother? Could someone really live without burdens if they knew exactly what was going to happen tomorrow? Especially the negative information. She only needed to play the role of her seventeen-year-old self; it wasn’t such a tall order.

“You really are my own father, I’m so moved I could do two more sets of math papers tonight,” Qin Yu joked, deflecting the situation. “If I drop out now, who’s going to inherit your family business?”

President Qin didn’t take it seriously at all. “I’ll hire a few professional managers for you, and you can just travel, shop, and fall in love to your heart’s content.”

“That won’t work,” Qin Yu said. “I don’t know anything. What if someone tricks me?”

This touched on President Qin’s area of expertise, and he spoke eloquently: “Stupid. I just said I’d hire several, so they check and balance each other, plus there are lawyers and accountants to oversee everything. Nothing will go wrong.”

“But people have to live for something,” Qin Yu said, taking a sip of the soup Auntie Zhang had ladled for her and narrowing her eyes in comfort. “I don’t want to be a slacker.”

Seeing her remain unmoved, President Qin grumbled, “You have an easy life handed to you, but you insist on wanting to suffer.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Old Qin. If I endure some hardship now, I’ll be able to enjoy the blessings later. Besides, what’s so hard about making money? Once I take over your mantle in the future and expand our commercial territory, our family business will flourish.”

Qin Yu painted a grand picture for President Qin without breaking a sweat; she had performed similar lines at least eight or ten times in her previous life. “But if I take over your business without knowing anything, our family is done for. Snap. The Qin Dynasty, extinguished in the second generation.”

President Qin glared at her: “Don’t speak such bad omens.”

Mrs. Wen intervened appropriately to break the tension: “You two have no taboos when you talk. Hurry up and eat.”

“Got it,” Qin Yu chimed in sweetly, “Mom, do you think I’m right?”

Mrs. Wen shook her head: “I don’t understand business, but I know this: if you want to learn, then learn; if you don’t, then don’t. If you’re too tired, rest. Do whatever you want to do; no matter what, your father and I will always be your safety net.”

There was no intentional sentimentality, but Qin Yu’s eyes grew moist. She quickly lifted her soup bowl, using the rising steam to hide her eyes. After waiting a moment to steady her emotions, she asked, “Dad, have you acted as a guarantor for anyone recently?”

President Qin started with a hardware store, then partnered with others to open a supermarket, before venturing out on his own two years later. Today, their family’s supermarkets were in the largest malls in every district of Lanshi. Not only that, their chain had expanded to five or six neighboring provinces.

President Qin had a quick mind and believed in letting professionals do professional work; once the supermarket funds were circulating, he invested in several other companies, all of which were profitable.

In her previous life, Qin Yu only knew she wasn’t short on money and could casually shop at her family’s supermarkets with friends, but she had no idea what her family’s companies specifically did. She didn’t even know how the company reached the point of bankruptcy liquidation. A commercial empire is not easily built, but when it falls, it collapses like a crumbling building—overnight.

However, she had heard rumors later that it was because President Qin had guaranteed a massive loan for someone, and that person had colluded with a large company’s vice president to set a “honey trap” for her father. It was even possible her father’s car accident wasn’t an accident at all. But she had been too young back then to understand her father’s social network, and there was no way to investigate. She could only test her luck by asking; if it was happening, the timing should be around now.

President Qin felt it was strange: “Why are you asking about this?”

“Just randomly asking,” Qin Yu said. “I saw a news story today. It said someone acted as a guarantor, but the borrower ran away, bankrupting the guarantor and ruining their family. It looked pretty scary, and I was just afraid that because you’re so loyal and righteous, you’d get into that kind of trouble.”

President Qin replied confidently: “That’s impossible. I have a family and a household; why would I do that?”

“It’s better if you don’t.” Qin Yu said seriously: “If the situation ever arises, you must think of Mom and me first. Besides, if you’re good friends with someone, lending them money within your capabilities is one thing, but never act as a guarantor—it ruins relationships.”

Qin Yu planted a “preemptive strike” for President Qin. Fortunately, their father was very family-oriented and never felt her words were useless.

“Fine. If someone comes to me with that kind of thing next time, I’ll call you, and you can just tell them, ‘My dad has no money,'” President Qin teased, playing along.

Qin Yu nodded vigorously: “Sure! As long as you don’t mind losing face.”

Qin Yu usually chatted with her parents at the dinner table, but never this much; she hadn’t stopped talking since the meal began. Especially since she usually talked about school life, mostly with Mrs. Wen. But tonight, she hit it off with President Qin. Mrs. Wen even remarked from the side, “Our daughter has suddenly grown up and started caring about national affairs.”

While coaxing Mrs. Wen with a grin, Qin Yu used her chopsticks to place a piece of sparerib from the far side of the table into Tang Ruibai’s bowl. She had discovered that Tang Ruibai, just like her, loved the sweet and sour spareribs Auntie Zhang made. After putting one on her plate, Qin Yu took advantage of the distraction while talking to President Qin to slide the entire plate of spareribs in front of Tang Ruibai. Then, she added two helpings of stir-fried vegetables to her bowl.

Qin Yu was deep in thought about how to help President Qin expand the business map so they wouldn’t be so passive, so she deliberately probed for information, showing concern for where the family enterprise stood. President Qin was more than happy to let her understand the company situation: “I’ll have my assistant bring you a file tomorrow; take a careful look.”

The meal ended harmoniously. Afterward, Qin Yu poured a cup of hawthorn tea for herself and Tang Ruibai; the sweet and sour flavor was quite refreshing.

“Dad, do you have any money recently?” Qin Yu asked with a fawning smile, “Give me some.”