“To my only son, Qin Mo, I leave my precious bottle of scotch that has been aged for more than fifty years, two of my properties in the South and five million US dollars from my funds.”
A small smile escaped Qin Mo’s lips. He believed that his mother would surely leave her shares and the remaining of her properties to either Qin Liwei or Qin Fei. Just like everyone else, Qin Mo also expected that his mother would not leave anything of value for Qin Jinghua.
“To my daughter-in-law, Tang Lingyun, I know that you are not lacking in money and properties. Therefore, I am leaving you my golden tiara, made from 24 carat gold and fitted with a 128 pieces of diamonds. This is a symbolic representation of the responsibilities that have been handed to you as the Madam of the Qin family.” Lawyer Yan made a deliberate pause to look at Tang Lingyun who was already crying. Her eyes were red, seemingly touched by the late Old Madam’s words.
Seeing her mother cry, Qin Fei stroke her mother’s back to comfort her.
But Lily could see through their act. Such acting deserved an Oscar indeed. With a smile still plastered on her face, Lily propped her head on the back of her hand while enjoying the performance that these people were putting on.
Lily had not been paying any attention to Xuan Hui and hence did not notice that Xuan Hui had been giving her a weird look. Minutes ago, his bodyguard, Yan Guang, had informed him that woman who just arrived at the gates of the Qin Mansion was the same woman who refused to sell them the doughnut for anything less than a hundred thousand dollars the other night.
Xuan Hui instantly concluded that Qin Jinghua and the unreasonable woman who demanded an extravagant price for the doughnut were one and the same.
What puzzled him was the fact that Qin Jinghua now seemed so different from the person he knew seven years ago. Where was the timid woman that he once knew? He couldn’t help but wonder if Qin Jinghua was only pretending to be confident so that she could attract his attention.
Thinking about this possibility only made him more disgusted at the woman sitting across from him.
“To my grandson, Qin Liwei, I am leaving you with an original copy of ‘The Art of War’ written by Sun Tzu. Use it well. This will teach you how to better strategise and scheme against others.” At this juncture, Lily let out an unrestrained snicker, interrupting Lawyer Yan. He immediately shot a glare at Lily before continuing, “He will also be given ten million Hong Kong dollars when he turns twenty-five on the condition that he has no criminal record.”
“To my granddaughter, Qin Fei,” Lawyer Yan made a deliberate pause when he sensed the excitement from everyone. “I am leaving you my shares in Qin Enterprises – ten percent. I will also give you my shares in Scarlet City – five percent, as a gift to your daughter.”
“To my beloved granddaughter, Qin Jinghua…”
“That’s all?” Qin Fei’s outburst interrupted Lawyer Yan. Her face was extremely ugly as she glared at Qin Jinghua. “What about Grandmother’s properties in Northern Summit? How about the villa that I loved so much?”
“Please allow me to continue Mrs. Xuan,” the lawyer reprimanded.
“To my beloved granddaughter, Qin Jinghua, I will bequeath you the remaining shares I have in Qin Enterprises – two percent and in Scarlet City – five percent. I will also leave you with two million US dollars from my funds abroad.”
At this point, Qin Fei heaved a sigh of relief, thinking that Grandmother’s properties would not go to Qin Jinghua. Qin Jinghua might be receiving some shares but they could always get them back. However, if Grandmother’s properties were to go to Qin Jinghua, she would be the biggest winner among them and they would not accept that. However, what Lawyer Yan said next caused everyone’s face to turn ugly.
“And lastly, the five properties that I have in Northern Summit, and the two properties I have in Australia, will be given to my beloved Qin Jinghua. May these be enough for you to forgive me for failing to protect you from those who caused your misfortune.”
“What?” Qin Fei stood up, placing her hands on her hips. “Lawyer Yan, you must be joking! How could Grandmother have left everything in Northern Summit to that woman?” Northern Summit was the top residential area in the whole of Hong Kong. It was not only scenic but the security in the area was also top notched. It was no wonder that Northern Summit had managed to attract celebrities and political officials to live there.
How could that old woman have given all those properties to Qin Jinghua? Those properties were Ye Xiaoxuan’s inheritance from her parents. Qin Fei was sure that those properties would value at a few hundred million today!
“Mrs. Xuan, this Will was notarized and witnessed by the mayor of this city. There is no way that I would make a joke about this,” Lawyer Yan rebutted. He already expected this reaction from everyone. Even he was confused when he first came to know about the late Old Madam’s Will.
“This must be a lie! I’m sure Qin Jinghua must have something to do with this! This last Will won’t hold up in court. We will take actions and …”
“Fei Fei sit down.” The tone in Qin Mo’s voice was grave, interrupting Qin Fei’s rant.
“But…”
“Sit down and let Lawyer Yan continue,” Qin Mo ordered. Seeing her father’s serious expression, Qin Fei could only swallow down her grievances before quietly taking her seat.
When everyone had calmed down, Lawyer Yan continued. “Now, before the Old Master of the Qin family died nine years ago, he gave me this envelope and asked me to open it only after his wife’s death. If you had wondered why most of the Old Master’s properties were not included in the reading of his Will then, this letter will explain the reason behind it.” Lawyer Yan then proceeded to open the envelope, revealing a letter inside. He opened the letter and took a glance at Lily Qin before reading it.
“This letter was personally handwritten by the late Old Master,” he added.
“Will it stand up in court?” Qin Mo asked. He wanted to make sure that the contents of the letter could be taken seriously. After all, he was sure that his father would leave all his properties to him. As the only son of the Qin family, he felt that it was only right.
“Mr. Qin, sometimes, a handwritten Will would hold better than a digitally documented one. Moreover, at the writing of this Will, two prominent people were witnesses. One was the old mayor and the other was General Qin from the mainland China, your father’s close friend and cousin.” Qin Mo nodded in response at the Lawyer’s explanation.
“To my son, Qin Mo. First of all, I want to tell you how proud I am to be your father and I love you. However, I felt that I had made a terrible decision in the past and I hope you can forgive me. I regretted that I had not been truthful with you while I was alive because I believed that telling you truth would only complicate your life with your family. As compensation, I am leaving with you half of my properties in Mainland China.” Tang Lingyun let out a gasp in surprise when she heard the lawyer’s words. Only half? Could it be that the other half would be given to their son, Qin Liwei?
“The other half of my properties in Mainland China will go to my granddaughter, Qin Jinghua on the condition that at the time of this reading, she is still using the last name ‘Qin’ and she must still be single. However, she must get married within three months after this reading. If she cannot fulfil these conditions, then this half of my properties that was initially meant for her shall be equally divided between my grandson, Qin Liwei and granddaughter, Qin Fei.”
….
Editor: Swaning
