Chapter 14: The Qin family: backstory
Just when the tension in the room was at its peak, Shera finally spoke up. "Are you worried of losing your jobs if the company goes bankrupt? Don't worry, I will feed all of you from my pockets."
"Eh?" Everyone was shocked. What was this sudden declaration? Wasn't she going to kick him out?
"Heh. You actually believed that? You're too cute." she chuckled mockingly, before suddenly returning to her serious business mode.
"Manager Tang seems to forget something. The first rule of business: You must always be ready to take risks. If not, how will you gain profit?"
Glancing at their faces, she said, "People say that CT Corporation was made from scratch, but all of you know the truth. I founded it using all my life savings. Tell me, wasn't that a risk?"
Their first reaction was to be flabbergasted. President Turner had never been so patient as to explain something.
And now that she explained it, they realized that their worries were unfounded.
Ever since the beginning of CT Corporation three years ago, there was no wrong decision that President Turner had made.
If she had, CT Corporation wouldn't be as great as it was.
"So, do you have anything else to say?" She probed after a while.
"President, we will do our best." they declared honestly.
....
At the same time, in the Qin Empire.
"What?"
"Are you crazy?"
"Leo, you did you eat your brain along with your breakfast today?" Livian admonished.
The man quietly reclined in his chair as he recieved all the insults from his family.
That was because he had just made an insane decision on behalf of the Qin Empire: he was bidding for the SMF Industrial Development project.
There must be something terribly wrong in his brain.
First of all, he had gone against a major company rule.
The Qin Empire was managed by the whole Qin family, and no one had the right to make any decision related to the company without the consent of everyone else.
And not only had he made a decision based on his own short-sightedness, it was even such a foolish decision!
"What's wrong with SMF Industrial Development project? It has such a high potential for profit." Leo Qin asked when they finally stopped flooding him with insults.
"You're asking what is wrong?" Cece snapped. "Did that woman hit your head too hard yesterday? Not only is this project too demanding, SMF is on the verge of bankruptcy too.
Also, don't you know that SMF co. is in debt?"
"There's such a thing as a contract, Cece. I will make sure their personal problems do not affect the project in any way and if their company goes bankrupt, the project will solely belong to The Qin Empire."
Cece glanced at Patriarch Qin helplessly, as though seeking help.
"Leo, Cece is indeed right. This is too big of a risk."
Leo Qin harrumphed as the corner of his lips twitched. "Father, this is no time to indulge your little daughter. She will cause the fall of the Qin Empire one day."
"Leo! What do you mean by that?!" Cece snapped.
"That's enough from the two of you. I think Leo makes sense." Mrs. Qin said.
"Your beloved son is going to drown the company one day." Cece retorted using Leo's own words.
"Why don't we just vote?" Livian suggested after having enough.
"Alright." Cece said and immediately added, "I vote against this project."
Livian took a glance at Leo but spoke his mind. "Honestly, I don't think this project is going to be completed successfully, much less earn profit. I vote against it."
"I'm against it too." said Patriarch Qin.
Cedric had been dragged into the meeting merely for being a Qin so he absent mindedly voted against it too.
So, Leo Qin was on his own side.
"Alright. I'll fund this project using my own money. But none of you is to claim any percentage of the profit."
"If there will be any profit to begin with." Livian mocked.
Leo didn't mind him and walked out of the meeting room. He was done here anyway.
"Leo." a gentle voice called after him.
"Mother?" Leo turned to look at Mrs. Qin.
She glanced at her son before saying, "Don't worry. Mother will support you. If I put in my life savings as well, we will have enough funds, right?"
Leo held both of her hands respectfully. "Mother, you don't have to worry about me. It will be fine."
He let go of her hands and walked away.
"Leo..."
Mrs. Qin sighed. The Qins would never truly treat Leo as a member of their family.
As a businesswoman, she knew that this project had a high chance of success. The risk wasn't that big and if it was successful, the profit would be immense.
The only reason why no one saw this clearly was because the person who suggested it was Leo Qin.
Very few people knew the reason and she was one of the few.
She was initially not the legal wife of Patriarch Qin. She had started off a mistress.
It was all because at the time, Patriarch Qin's wife was unable to conceive. So the man found another woman outside his marriage.
Which went to say, Leo was born out of wedlock.
Soon after he was born, the legal wife got pregnant too, so Leo was rendered useless.
The legal wife had a son too, Cedric.
Her poor son had to be kept in hiding until he was six.
Then, some unfortunate circumstances led to Cedric's mother's death.
When Cedric was only five, his mother died while giving birth to Cece.
Surely a baby couldn't survive on her own.
Hence for the sake of his kids, Patriarch Qin found a woman to marry.
And who would the best candidate be, if not the mother of his eldest son?
That was how Leo ended up in the Qin family.
But Cedric and Cece didn't know the truth and thought of him as their step brother. They would be nice to him sometimes but hate him once they thought of how they were not even related by blood.
As for Livian, it was even worse for him. His mother had died in an accident.
She was Cedric and Cece's maternal aunt so Patriach Qin had decided to adopt him.
To put it plainly, the only one who was not a Qin was Livian, but Cedric and Cece were his maternal cousins so the outsider was instead Leo Qin.
....
While all the drama happened in the Qin Empire, a certain someone had managed to convince her subordinates.
It was worth noting that neither Leo Qin nor Shera Black predicted that the other would also compete for the same project.
What would happen if the both of them met? It was bound to be exciting.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone