CHAPTER 224: CHAPTER 224: QIN JINHAI CONFRONTS QIN SHENG

Qin Jinhai received the message while he was in the Imperial Garden.

He told Fu Bing that he was going out for a walk and then disappeared.

"Tell him I’m at Wu Shipyard and to come find me there," he instructed.

The look on Qin Zhiheng’s face became even uglier upon hearing the message relayed by Lin Huo.

With a trembling voice, he said, "He told me to go to Wu Shipyard if I was really in trouble. You can go there to find him too."

"Wu Shipyard is his stronghold; going there would be like walking into a trap."

Qin Zhiheng couldn’t help but retort sarcastically.

"Isn’t his coming here also like walking into a trap? Do you really think he’s that foolish?"

"He can’t bear to let anyone die for him," Qin Sheng asserted with conviction. "That’s what makes him the most interesting. Even if you’ve never met him, just having had some relationship with him, he wouldn’t want you to die because of him."

"What use is your accurate guess when, in the end, you’re just a rat in the sewer?" Qin Jinhai’s voice suddenly echoed throughout the entire mansion.

"Qin Sheng, you’ve hidden for more than two decades, turning yourself into something neither human nor ghost, and you still think you’re unfathomable, beyond everyone else. You’re utterly foolish."

Qin Zhiheng couldn’t resist giving a mental thumbs up. Qin Jinhai is still as unyielding as ever.

Even after being scolded, Qin Sheng wasn’t annoyed.

"You’ve exposed yourself so quickly. Has your purpose of faking your own death been achieved? Qin Jinhai, that move of yours was really not clever," he said.

"Why do I need to be clever? What’s the use of being praised as formidable by others? I’m tired and want to rest. Can’t I tell people I’m dead?"

The provocation in Qin Jinhai’s tone became even more apparent.

Qin Sheng’s gaze carried a bit of admiration, and his entire demeanor shifted from icy to warm and appreciative.

"I indeed didn’t choose the wrong person."

"Those chosen by you must have suffered bad luck for generations. Don’t think of yourself as a savior; it’s disgusting," Qin Jinhai continued. "I see you have no scars, no disabilities. You’re hiding behind others, muttering and concocting pointless schemes. What’s the point?"

"You weren’t foolish back then. Why did you need to take such a roundabout way to do all these things?"

Qin Sheng replied, "If you’re willing to appear before me, I can tell you."

"I’m not that interested in other people’s private affairs. The Qin Family you once took pride in has now become a place everyone despises. Even if you come, you can’t salvage the situation," Qin Jinhai declared.

A fanatical light flashed in Qin Sheng’s eyes. "Do you really think so? Someone as intelligent as you shouldn’t have such a superficial understanding. As long as the Clan Association of the Qin Family exists, it can establish a new Qin Family anywhere."

"Qin Jinhai, you’re indeed smart, with brains and courage, and a true heart unlike anyone else’s; you’re the most perfect family head. This time, I won’t use Fu Bing to test you. Let’s give up the Qin Family in Jiangcheng, find a more interesting city, and build our own Qin Family. You and Fu Bing can get married; I won’t interfere."

There was even a hint of naïveté in Qin Sheng’s voice as he spoke.

That naïveté on his face was chilling.

Suddenly, Qin Zhiheng had a strong urge to run away with his mother. Damn it, this Qin Sheng is a complete lunatic!

Even Qin Jinhai couldn’t help but laugh at Qin Sheng’s words.

He said in a light tone, "That doesn’t sound too bad. But why should I build the Qin Family with you? Isn’t it good for me to be the master on my own?"

"Greedy children won’t meet a good end. Qin Jinhai, you’re smart and will surely make the right choice," answered Qin Sheng.

"So, do you think your appearance at this time is correct? Qin Sheng, commanding from behind the scenes and a true frontal confrontation are different things. You missed your chance once. You’ve hidden for over two decades, and you’re still not good at face-to-face confrontation. You will lose."

After saying that, Qin Jinhai seemed to vanish.

The already empty Qin Family Mansion felt even more hollow with the disappearance of Qin Jinhai’s voice.

The hairs on Qin Zhiheng’s back stood on end.

He swore inwardly. Damn it, Qin Jinhai! You provoke your own father and then run off. What about Mom and me? We’ll be chopped up and fed to the dogs by Qin Sheng!

As expected, Qin Sheng no longer heard Qin Jinhai’s voice, and his icy gaze shifted to the two people.

"You’re useless now."

Qin Yuan advanced towards Qin Mu and Qin Zhiheng with the black-clad men.

Qin Mu pulled Qin Zhiheng behind him, using his slender body to withstand Qin Yuan and the black-clad men.

"Qin Sheng, you’ve returned." Li Yuan’s voice arose from outside the gate.

A crack finally appeared on Qin Sheng’s composed and self-possessed face.

Li Yuan, who had listened from outside for a while, burst into tears of emotion once again when she heard Jinhai’s voice. Her child is still alive! This is wonderful news!

Qin Sheng stood up and used his hand to shield his face.

"You’re not allowed to come in!"

Far from retreating, Li Yuan quickened her pace.

"If you have the courage to face Jinhai, you should have the face to confront me!"

Li Yuan had Qin Jinmo take Qin Zhiheng and Qin Mu away. Qin Jinmo stood afar, watching them.

Qin Sheng turned his back to Li Yuan, simply not daring to look at her.

Li Yuan looked at the unfamiliar figure. She couldn’t feel the slightest familiarity from him.

A wave of sadness surged through Li Yuan’s heart. If Qin Sheng had died, it wouldn’t be so ironic. The man she once loved merely vanished at the end of time, not tempered by time into someone completely different.

Li Yuan didn’t wallow in her sadness for long.

"Where is that smugness you had when facing Jinhai? Can you stand up straight and face me?" Li Yuan said sharply, her voice trembling with emotion.

"What right do you have to ruin the child I raised with so much effort? I don’t believe I’ve ever wronged you, and Jinhai has never done anything to deserve your hostility. So why did you harm him so?"

As she spoke, Li Yuan stepped forward and turned Qin Sheng to face her. "Look at me!"

Panic surged in Qin Sheng’s eyes.

"Yuan Yuan..."

"Scared now? What were you doing earlier?" Without thinking, Li Yuan slapped him several times. "You used to have some mettle! I respected you, admired you, and was willing to marry you. What the hell do you look like now? What’s the use of hiding behind others and stirring up a bunch of crap? That rotten nature of yours? Don’t I know it perfectly well?"

"You’re not content with just theoretical success, and you’ll try every means to make something of yourself. Haven’t you ever thought about your own abilities?"

Li Yuan grabbed his collar. "Your psychological manipulation skills are indeed strong, strong enough that many people are willing to die for you. But you’ve derived no sense of achievement from it. You’re still the most tormented one."

"You still think others haven’t seen the real you, that nobody has appreciated the complete you."

"All I want to say is, if you’re damn sick, get treatment quickly and don’t go out harming others!"

Li Yuan was usually a ladylike person and didn’t like to swear.

But seeing Qin Sheng in this pathetic state made her angry.

Qin Sheng shouldn’t be like this. Why would a once refined and elegant scion of a noble family turn into what he is today? Can a person really change so completely?