CHAPTER 400: CHAPTER 409: THEY’RE BACK

"Qin Guohua, you worthless coward," Hu Li pointed at Qin Guohua’s nose and cursed loudly, "I must have been blind to marry you, letting the two whelps you fathered mess things up so badly they landed us all in police detention. My Pengfei is destined for greatness, and my Xiang Mei is a student at Jing University. You tell me, if people find out about this, how can I ever show my face again? How can our children hold their heads up?"

Qin Guohua wiped his face, "Well, it’s not like anyone knows, right?"

Qin Pengfei, after being locked up for a few days, was truly frightened and now he sat there, curled up, not daring to say a word. As for Qin Xiangmei, she’d always had a stern face; she didn’t get to attend school, but ended up staying in detention, unable to eat well or sleep well, her clothes unchanged for days. How could this not infuriate her? She was so angry she felt like she could kill someone, and to make matters worse, when she got back, her luggage was carelessly thrown into the dog pot. She didn’t even want to think about whether it had been peed on by a dog. Just the thought made her seethe with rage, to the point of murderous intent.

Qin Guohua was spluttered with spit as he was being cursed, but he couldn’t talk back. He remembered the vow he had made to himself and would remember it for a lifetime. He had said, if he ever went to look for these two kids, he’d be the lowest of the low, a spineless turtle with no hole to lay eggs from; after his death, no one would see him off. Rural people take vows seriously, and once made, how could he not keep his word?

Hu Li had heard about Qin Xiangnuan buying a Siheyuan in Capital City and she couldn’t believe it. Nowadays, just buying an ordinary house costs a fortune, not to mention a Siheyuan in Imperial Palace. Hu Li didn’t believe it and insisted on getting the old Siheyuan into her own hands at all costs.

Now the three of them each had their own schemes, and the result? They ended up with nothing but embarrassment and resentment.

Qin Guohua was afraid of Hu Li, didn’t dare to talk back to her, but he was also filled with rage, looking for someone to vent on.

"Qin Xiangyang, you’re worse than a pig or a dog, even locking up your own mother!" Qin Guohua glared at Qin Xiangyang, thunder in his voice. Yet, on Hu Li’s face was a look of schadenfreude; they couldn’t handle it, but his father was there.

Qin Xiangyang, although not present at the time, knew exactly what had happened.

His years in the military had made him grow a lot taller—now he stood almost 183 centimeters. With his already handsome features, he exuded the heroic spirit of a soldier, incomparable to the cowardly Qin Pengfei, who lived off others. Qin Pengfei used to be so proud, with early success and an education all the way to university, but what of it now? In the face of this Qin Xiangyang, a military school student with excellent academic performance, a high-tech talent well versed in computers and fluent in English, he could easily put Qin Pengfei to shame.

And as Qin Guohua continued his tirade of curses, Qin Xiangyang felt in his heart, calm like the surface of a mirror. Was it numbness, or had he simply grown used to it? He couldn’t remember; in any case, ever since he could remember, all he ever heard from Qin Guohua’s mouth was scolding and cursing like this.

He simply pursed his lips in a cold, indifferent smile, with a touch of sternness in his eyes.

"They’ve made their bed; who else can they blame? We have solid evidence; we’ll follow the legal process, who else but them should we detain?"

Qin Pengfei’s body tensed, knowing well that Qin Xiangyang was talking about him. The clothes were no big deal, not worth much, but the watch he wore on his wrist at the time, a watch worth tens of thousands of dollars, would be clear evidence against him if someone decided to pin the blame on him.

Qin Guohua immediately picked up a cup from the table, ready to throw it.

But just as he lifted the cup and was about to throw it, he heard a chill-inducing voice.

"A set costs 280 yuan; go ahead and smash it."

Upon hearing about money, Qin Guohua found himself unable to bring the cup down.

What was Hu Li’s Achilles heel? It was Qin Xiangmei.

If Qin Guohua had an Achilles’ heel, it was, regrettably, one thing: MONEY.

At that moment, a young girl wearing a plaid shirt and an ankle-length skirt walked in through the door. With rosy lips and white teeth, she had an average stature and skin so translucent and fair. Years of cultural refinement had endowed her with a distinctive aura unlike any other family’s, filled with the rich scent of books and the innate grace of ink wash.

She was indeed born to Qin Guohua, but bore no resemblance to him; instead, she was the spitting image of the deceased Du Ping.

Upon seeing Qin Xiangnuan’s face, Qin Guohua would instinctively feel a sense of dread rise within him.

How Du Ping died - heaven knows, earth knows, and he knows.

His lips moved slightly. Since her childhood, he had taken no liking to this daughter, and now his feelings proved to be accurate. Qin Xiangnuan, it seemed, wasn’t here to claim debts but to coerce him into paying them.

Qin Xiangnuan, catching glimpses of his shifting eyes, laced with guilt and fear, knew exactly what he was afraid of.

She always believed that good deeds bring good fortune, and although blessings might not come immediately, disasters would stay away. Evil deeds, on the other hand, may not prompt immediate misfortune, but would surely drive blessings far away.

What Qin Guohua had done, he knew all too well in his heart.

She had let them go, not out of fear or compromise; she simply wanted to see how far Qin Xiangmei could get without the system that stole others’ fortunes. After putting her backpack back in her room, she couldn’t quite discern the jealousy and resentment in Qin Xiangmei’s eyes upon her return.

Jian Zhiqing was right; witnessing the envy and longing of one’s enemies was indeed a form of retribution like no other.

Emerging from her room to face her old foes, she was now unflinching.

Standing next to Qin Xiangyang, the siblings were quite the pair: one tall, one pretty, one academically successful, and the other a student at a prestigious university, with a past pedigree of considerable merit. Even without parental care, they had managed to live well - the waters of the Capital City were indeed nurturing.

Who could tell that the siblings had come from a poor mountain village, where once they had not even had proper clothes to wear? Now, no matter where they went, they seemed like children who had come from the city. Qin Pengfei and Qin Xiangnuan might still be somebody in the village, but compared to these two siblings, they fell far behind.

Especially Qin Tongyang, in his military uniform, appeared tall and imposing, beyond reproach. As for Qin Xiangnuan, she just stood there nonchalantly, her gaze calm and deep, the only hint of emotion being a cold smile playing on her lips.

At this moment, Qin Guohua didn’t seem to know what to say, as if he couldn’t muster a single word.

Hu Li surreptitiously stepped on Qin Guohua’s foot in frustration at his lack of backbone.

She then twisted her face into a grimace.

"My Xiang Mei is about to attend the Kyoto School, which is a prestigious institution. Letting her live here would also benefit you," she declared.

"My sister is also a student at Kyoto University," Qin Xiangyang retorted unflinchingly, giving Hu Li a verbal slap, "and I certainly don’t feel she has brought any benefits to our home. Or are you implying..." Qin Xiangyang’s voice trailed off, resting upon Qin Xiangmei’s face that so closely resembled Hu Li’s, unable to evoke a shred of fondness.