Just as she was heading out, she couldn't help but shoot Qin Yinglong a hateful glare over her shoulder!
Qin Feng's words just now had made her realize that Qin Yinglong had likely chosen to sacrifice her purity just to sign a major contract!
The damned bastard!
Knowing he was in the wrong, Qin Yinglong found it awkward to press the issue any further.
Yet he was far from stupid—in fact, he was deeply vicious!
"Now that Cao Renqi has died at Qin Feng's hands, he's bound to face criminal charges!"
"The moment he breathes his last or gets thrown behind bars, the ultimate power to control the tens of billions in assets belonging to the Qin Group will fall right into my hands!"
With that thought, a cold smile crept up from the bottom of Qin Yinglong's heart!
No matter the process, he only cared about the result!
Given the current situation, the outcome favored him far more than it harmed him!
……
Inside the main Qin estate.
Grandfather Qin, father Qin Shiguang, second uncle Qin Shiya, and cousins Qin Yinghu and Qin Yingxiong were all gathered in the hall!
Everyone's expression was exceptionally grim!
"The Qin Group was sailing along smoothly, I never expected us to run into such massive trouble now!"
With a cold gaze, second uncle Qin Shiya stared straight at Qin Shiguang: "Big brother, your son Qin Feng is truly audacious. He actually threw Cao Renqi straight down from the eighteenth floor!"
"It's a good thing supreme authority over the Qin Group hasn't been handed over to him yet, or he would have driven it completely into the ground within days!"
"Now that he's killed Cao Renqi, the police and the Cao Family will never let him go, and I'm afraid our Qin Group is going down with him!"
With that, Qin Shiya ruthlessly stubbed his cigarette butt out into the ashtray!
Qin Yinglong immediately stoked the flames: "Besides, I only reprimanded Qin Feng a little at the time, and he gave me a severe beating!"
"That guy has no respect for hierarchy—he's utterly lawless! This time, he's going to drag everyone down with him!"
Hearing this, Qin Feng's father, Qin Shiguang, instantly wore a look of utter humiliation.
He had thought that after three years of lost contact, Qin Feng's return would surely be marked by a turnaround and a drive to better himself. Never had he imagined that Qin Feng's bad habits would remain unchanged, growing even more arrogant and reckless!
He had actually dared to resort to murder!
"This fellow, there really is no dealing with him..."
Qin Shiguang was furious at his son's failure to live up to expectations, yet his heart was also filled with guilt.
Had it not been for that inexplicable fire all those years ago that tragically took his wife's life, Qin Feng wouldn't have been robbed of a mother's love, and perhaps he wouldn't have turned out so unruly today.
"Qin Feng is my son. It's my fault for failing to discipline him properly, and I am willing to bear all the responsibility."
Qin Shiguang took a deep breath: "If the police want to hold someone accountable, let them come at me. If the Cao Family wants revenge, I am willing to pay with my life! In any case, I must protect this son of mine!"
To everyone's surprise, Grandfather Qin chimed in: "Let me shoulder this guilt instead. I'm old, and it won't matter much if I die—as long as my grandson can live!"
Just then, Qin Feng stepped through the front door, deeply moved as he overheard these words.
Look at that—now *this* was a real father, and *this* was a real grandfather!
If I don't love you guys, who on earth should I love?
However, Qin Shiya let out a cold laugh: "Grandfather, Big Brother, you should know how advanced modern technology is. The police only need to conduct a brief investigation to find the evidence of Qin Feng murdering Cao Renqi!"
"And do you really think the Cao Family are pushovers? Who doesn't know that Qin Feng beat Cao Renqi up and that bad blood already existed between them?"
With that, he angrily pointed at Qin Feng and cursed: "Therefore, only by having Qin Feng take sole responsibility can we prevent a disastrous impact on the Qin Group. Absolutely no one else can take the fall for him!"
Once Qin Feng was locked up or even brought to justice, supreme power over the Qin Group would sooner or later fall into the hands of Qin Shiya's family!
Li Chunfei was about to step forward to speak up for Qin Feng and tell everyone that he had killed Cao Renqi purely to protect her reputation, but Qin Feng jumped in ahead of her!
"Second Uncle, it's just a mere Cao Renqi. A wretch like that deserved to die a thousand deaths—he brought his death upon himself! Why are you all panicking?"
With that, he casually sat down beside his grandfather and calmly sipped his tea!
His nonchalant demeanor instantly sent Qin Yinglong, Qin Shiya, and the others flying into a rage!
Look at that! What kind of unhinged nonsense is this good-for-nothing spouting?
If you hadn't thrown Cao Renqi from that high-rise, would Cao Renqi have dropped dead?
Do you even use your brain when you speak?!
And now you actually have the nerve to sit down and drink tea?!
Yet Qin Shiguang and Grandfather exchanged glances, unable to stop themselves from asking: "Qin Feng, what on earth are you trying to say? Do you know some kind of major secret?"
Chapter 27: I Cultivate Immortality, Okay?
"A major secret? I don't need to hold onto any major secrets."
Hearing the questions from his grandfather and father, Qin Feng smiled slightly: "Because I possess immortal arts, the Cao Family is nothing before me, and even the police can't touch me."
Hearing this, the room fell instantly, dead silent!
Every single person's face was painted with disbelief and helpless frustration!
Possessing immortal arts? You, a spoiled scion, actually dare to claim you understand immortal arts?!
You might as well just declare yourself a heavenly deity or warrior!
Li Chunfei couldn't help her expression changing drastically either!
She had thought Qin Feng had come up with some brilliant trick to turn the tables, only for this guy to pull out his identity as a Cultivator!
"Qin Feng, please be serious!"
Father Qin Shiguang wore a look of utter embarrassment and mortification!
His face felt like it was burning!
How utterly humiliating!
Yet Qin Feng remained completely earnest, pressing two fingers together as he said: "I'm not lying to you. I truly am a mighty Cultivator. Traversing the heavens and earth, exorcising demons and dispelling disasters, turning iron into gold—it's all a walk in the park!"
"Killing a piece of trash like Cao Renqi is nothing; there's no need to worry at all!"
Hiss!
Qin Shiguang couldn't help drawing a sharp breath, his eyes shot with blood!
You unfilial son, how dare you spout such lies...
Grandfather gripped his teacup, producing a series of cracking, grinding noises!
The tea inside the cup churned up and down like boiling water!
At that moment, Li Chunfei felt as though her heart was about to leap right out of her throat!
She genuinely worried that Qin Feng would be beaten to death on the spot!
Slap!
To everyone's surprise, Second Uncle Qin Shiya finally reached his breaking point. He slammed his hand down onto the table, instantly surging to his feet as he shouted: "Qin Feng, will you ever finish? I've fucking tolerated you for long enough!"
"Now the Qin Group is in grave peril because of you, and you still have the mood to crack jokes and amuse yourself! Don't tell me you actually think you're being witty and humorous right now!"
Qin Yinglong and his two brothers also flashed murderous glares!
This good-for-nothing actually dared to toy with us!
Yet Qin Feng continued to sip his tea with absolute ease, saying: "Believe it or not, the Qin Family won't have any trouble tonight anyway. I'm going to rest now, you lot can figure it out yourselves!"
With that, he hummed a little tune as he strolled toward his bedroom, sporting an attitude as though it had nothing to do with him—an aloofness that made people grind their teeth in hatred!
"Bastard!"
Seeing Qin Feng swagger off as if nothing had happened, Qin Shiya was so infuriated he stamped his feet and beat his chest in frustration!
Yet unable to do anything to Qin Feng, he could only vent all his pent-up anger onto his son Qin Yinglong: "It's all your incompetence! You couldn't even keep a good-for-nothing like Qin Feng under control!"
"This..."
Qin Yinglong was momentarily speechless; after all, it was because he had trapped Li Chunfei and then lost his mind with arrogance on his way back to the car that Qin Feng had been given the opening to deal with Cao Renqi!
Qin Yinghu immediately poured fuel on the fire: "Big brother, you really let people down this time. If you had just handled things seriously, Qin Feng wouldn't have been able to stir up such massive trouble!"
Hearing this, Grandfather also turned his gaze to Qin Yinglong, disappointment and reprimand unmasked in his eyes.
"—!"
Qin Yinglong felt a chill run through his heart—he had actually ended up becoming the scapegoat.
Right now, supreme authority over the Qin Group was still held in Grandfather's hands. If Grandfather took a disliking to him, Qin Yinglong's chances of inheriting that authority in the future would become slim to none!
Grandfather Qin waved a hand: "Step up security and defense protocols. Furthermore, no one is to sleep tonight, and no one is to leave the grounds without permission, just in case the Cao Family launches a midnight raid!"
As a powerful, large-scale conglomerate, the Qin estate was guarded year-round by professional security personnel, and their captain possessed the formidable cultivation of the Second Stage of Yellow Realm—a top-tier expert in his own right.
And so, the vast estate blazed with light through the night, every single person strung tight as a bowstring!
Knowing that a turbulent, unsettled night was bound to follow, Qin Yinglong's family wished they could murder Qin Feng, who had simply gone straight to sleep!
Once the family meeting concluded, Qin Shiya and his sons hurried back to their private villa to confer.
Qin Yinghu couldn't wait to speak: "Qin Feng murdering someone is an established fact. If we report this to the police, we can completely root out this thorn in our side once and for all!"
With a gloomy, bone-chilling gaze, Qin Shiya smiled viciously: "Yinghu, Father appreciates your daring. Since that's the case, let's report it to the police."
A wicked smile crept across Qin Yinghu's face as he turned his gaze toward Qin Yinglong standing nearby: "Big Brother, go report it!"
"Me?"
A shock went through Qin Yinglong's heart. Naturally, he understood that Qin Yinghu was using a borrowed knife to kill him, but things had reached a point where, if he wanted to alter his father's view of him, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and take on the task!
Gritting his teeth, Qin Yinglong edited a message and sent it to his assistant, instructing him to report the crime immediately!
Inwardly, Qin Yinghu couldn't help breaking into a dark, triumphant laugh!
Once the police dragged Qin Feng away, what awaited him would undoubtedly be life imprisonment or even the death penalty!
And the moment news of Qin Yinglong kicking a man while he was down by reporting him reached Grandfather's ears, he would undoubtedly face severe punishment or even be cast aside entirely!
That would make Qin Yinghu the ultimate beneficiary!
What a brilliant stroke of killing two birds with one stone!
"From this day forth, the Qin Group will be mine alone."
Qin Yinghu plotted silently in his heart, waiting quietly for good news to arrive.
On the other side, having completely lost all faith in Qin Yinglong and wishing to avoid laying eyes on him, Li Chunfei simply chose to sleep in the guest room.
She immediately sent Qin Feng a text message: "Tell me honestly, did you actually come up with a way to solve this problem?"
Qin Feng smiled slightly and replied: "Of course I have a countermeasure. I've already had a friend help take care of it, Sister-in-law needn't worry."
Only then did Li Chunfei let out a breath of release, following up with: "Then why didn't you just explain the situation to Qin Shiya and the others?"
Qin Feng replied: "Why bother telling them the truth? Let them guess wildly—it's best if they spend the whole night tossing and turning."
He then added: "I'll make you understand that choosing to be completely open and honest with me was the most correct decision you could have made."
Thump!
Li Chunfei's heart gave a violent leap, and her eyes turned red-rimmed!
"In fact, you've already proven it to me."
With tears shimmering in her eyes, she hit send.
Seeing those words, Qin Feng felt a warmth spread through his chest.
……
Early the next morning.
When Qin Feng woke up and came downstairs, he was full of vitality.
Yet Qin Shiya's family looked dazed, with prominent dark circles under their eyes and a utterly listless, withered appearance!
"What's going on? Did you guys really not get any sleep last night?"
Qin Feng couldn't help laughing!
As it turned out, terrified that the Cao Family would launch a midnight raid, Qin Yinglong had spent the entire night in a state of panic!
Meanwhile, Qin Shiya, Qin Yinghu, and Qin Yingxiong had spent the night eagerly waiting for the police to come and arrest Qin Feng!
To their utter dismay, they had waited bitterly until daybreak, only to find that not only had the Cao Family made no move whatsoever, but even the police had taken no action!
Father and sons had pulled an all-nighter just like that.
An entire pack of cigarettes had been smoked down to nothing, leaving their bellies filled with pent-up rage!
"You guys are really something. Weren't you miserable staying up the whole night?"
Qin Feng deliberately provoked them, wearing a wicked grin.
"Qin Feng, you still have the mood to joke around? If you hadn't caused this disaster, would we have had to suffer right along with you?"
Qin Yinglong couldn't help grinding his teeth!
Qin Shiya and his sons also glared viciously at Qin Feng, their eyes filled with bloodshot exhaustion!
To their surprise, Qin Feng simply burst into hearty laughter!
Shrugging his shoulders, he said: "I already told you the Qin Family wouldn't run into any trouble, you were just the ones who refused to believe it. What does that have to do with me?"
"Look at Sister-in-law Chunfei, Grandfather, and my dad—aren't they all full of energy too?"
After exchanging a pleasant chat with Qin Feng last night, Li Chunfei had drifted off to sleep with a sweet smile, waking up this morning feeling utterly radiant!
As for Grandfather Qin and Qin Shiguang, holding a mindset of letting nature take its course, they had slept exceptionally soundly last night as well.
Waking up the next day, they found that what Qin Feng had said was true—the night had passed safely without incident.
"Damn it, how can this be?"
Qin Yinglong and his father exchanged glances, consumed by doubt and confusion!
Why had Qin Feng killed Cao Renqi, yet neither the Cao Family nor the police had come looking for them?
This wasn't normal!
Li Chunfei was equally startled and suspicious in her heart: just who on earth was this friend Qin Feng mentioned last night, capable of making both the Cao Family and the police collectively choose silence?
Grandfather and Qin Shiguang were naturally filled with lingering questions as well.
Why was Qin Feng able to emerge completely unscathed?
Just as everyone was bewildered, Grandfather Qin's cell phone rang!
"What?"
"Alright, alright, I understand."
Grandfather's startled voice only made everyone else even more curious. The moment he hung up the phone, they crowded around him: "Grandfather, what's going on?"
Hu...
Grandfather let out a heavy breath, barely managing to steady himself: "Latest news—the Cao Group declared bankruptcy last night, and Cao Renqi jumped from a building to his death in despair."
Chapter 28: Astonishment
"The Cao Group went bankrupt? Cao Renqi jumped to his death?"
Everyone was struck dumb with astonishment, because Cao Renqi dying at Qin Feng's hands was a fact Qin Feng himself had personally admitted!
"Hoo..."
Grandfather took a deep breath and said: "According to rumors in the underworld, Cao Renqi was arrogant and overbearing, and he provoked the Hong Family, one of the five major powers of the provincial capital. Hong Qingtian sent men last night to execute him!"
"Presumably, because Qin Feng pushed Cao Renqi off the high-rise to his death, everyone mistakenly assumed Cao Renqi couldn't bear the pressure and committed suicide by jumping! Moreover, the Hong Family possesses heaven-reaching might; outsiders wouldn't dare interfere too much!"
"That's why Qin Feng was lucky enough to escape with his life!"
Hearing Grandfather's words, Qin Shiguang finally understood and burst into excited laughter!
Yet Qin Yinglong's family felt like crying bitter tears!
Qin Feng had been on the verge of running out of options, but the Hong Family had stepped in precisely at this critical juncture, allowing him to dodge a bullet!
What the hell!
Meanwhile, Li Chunfei's heart pounded heavily against her ribs, her breathing growing ragged!
She hurriedly and stealthily edited a message to send to Qin Feng: "The friend you mentioned last night... could it be Hong Qingtian?"
Qin Feng smiled faintly and replied: "Sister-in-law is indeed ice-smart and snow-clever."
Li Chunfei couldn't help drawing a sharp breath!
Good heavens, Qin Feng was actually good friends with a major heavyweight like Hong Qingtian!
"No wonder Qin Feng was so full of confidence, it turns out he's good friends with Hong Qingtian..."
What kind of existence was Hong Qingtian?
He was the head of the Hong Family, one of the five major powers of the provincial capital, a leading figure in the business world, a pinnacle figure in martial arts—an existence who could shake the entire provincial capital with a single stomp of his foot!
Yet three years ago, Qin Feng was still widely known as a notorious aristocratic playboy!
Frivolous and unrestrained, surrounded by beauties, refusing to do an honest day's work!
Who could have imagined that upon returning after three years, he would actually have befriended a tycoon like Hong Qingtian?!
"Y-you, is everything you said true?"
The shock of this contrast was simply too overwhelming; Li Chunfei couldn't help shivering all over, her face painted with disbelief.
Yet the facts were right before her eyes!
This was the reality!
The prodigal young master of back then had truly transformed, becoming a completely different person!
"Sister-in-law, the look of astonishment on your face is just too pretty. Your little mouth could even fit a big sausage."
Qin Feng's message arrived once more. Li Chunfei couldn't help lifting her gaze, only to find Qin Feng looking right at her with a smile!
Detached and gentle, yet carrying a trace of an unrestrained, wicked grin!
So handsome!
Li Chunfei couldn't help pressing her lips tight, her heart beating wildly!
"How on earth did you manage to befriend someone as formidable as Hong Qingtian?"
Unable to curb her curiosity, she texted Qin Feng to ask.
The corners of Qin Feng's lips curled up as he replied: "Sister-in-law, don't be impatient. Time is plentiful, we'll have plenty of opportunities for deeper exchanges."
"This?"
Li Chunfei paused for a second, then her face flushed bright red!
This guy was speeding down the highway again!
She sent back a hammering emoji, followed by a coquettish glare from her bright eyes directed straight at Qin Feng.
"Hehe..."
Qin Feng couldn't help chuckling aloud!
"..."
Believing that Qin Feng had merely lucked out in dodging disaster, Qin Yinglong remained blissfully unaware that Qin Feng was openly and brazenly texting back and forth, flirting with Li Chunfei right under his nose!
Talk about wearing a green hat without even knowing it, sigh!
On the other side, Second Uncle Qin Shiya said coldly: "Qin Feng, you managed to dodge disaster by sheer luck this time, but don't go acting so recklessly in the future."
Qin Feng immediately rolled his eyes and retorted: "I am a mighty Cultivator, naturally I turn misfortune into blessings. What would you know?"
"You!"
Qin Shiya's face flushed with anger!
Am I not even qualified to lecture you anymore now, just because I'm your second uncle?!
Suddenly, Grandfather spoke up: "Now that the Cao Group has become an asset of the Hong Family, our Qin Family must re-engage and negotiate with the Hong Family regarding our previous cooperation with the Cao Group."
"The competition coefficient will be even greater, and the difficulty will be even higher! If our Qin Group loses this major client, this year's performance is going to plummet..."
Qin Yinglong's expression darkened completely!
Last night, just to get the Cao Group to sign that major contract, he had even sacrificed his own wife, Li Chunfei, and ended up slapped twice by Qin Feng to boot!
To think that contract had now become a worthless sheet of paper!
All of Qin Yinglong's efforts had gone down the drain!
Talk about trying to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice used as bait!
He hurriedly piped up: "Grandfather, I am extremely familiar with this project, let me take charge of negotiating with the Hong Family!"
However, Qin Yinghu chimed in with unconcealed defiance: "You were only close with Cao Renqi; you don't actually understand the project at all. Let me handle the negotiations instead!"
Qin Yinglong's gaze narrowed instantly: "What exactly are you trying to say?"
Grandfather saw right through it all like a clear mirror; naturally, he knew these two brothers were merely scrambling for personal benefit.
Thus, turning his gaze to Qin Feng, he smiled and said: "Why don't you give it a try?"
Qin Yinglong and Qin Yinghu instantly panicked: "Grandfather, you're actually handing this heavy responsibility to Qin Feng? Aren't you worried the people from the Hong Family will meet a toxic end at his hands as well?"
Grandfather merely swept a cool glance across them, and the two brothers instantly snapped their mouths shut.