Hearing this, Li Chunfei couldn't help trembling all over!
She immediately raised her eyes to look at Qin Feng!
At that moment, she found that Qin Feng's gaze was also fixed on her, his flickering eyes filled with tenderness!
Who could ever comprehend this kind of sudden, miraculous reversal!
Overwhelmed with emotion, Li Chunfei almost burst into tears.
Qin Feng was so considerate of her, giving her an incredible amount of face and prestige!
Han Xuefen, on the other hand, wore a look of utter disappointment.
She hadn't expected that Qin Feng would treat her with such cold indifference.
This was the very first time in her decades of life that she had been given the cold shoulder by a man!
"Well, alright then..."
Han Xuefen managed a forced smile, desperately trying to mask the awkwardness on her face. The moment she turned her head, she cast a resentful glance at Li Chunfei.
Li Chunfei smiled inwardly.
Although the two were best friends, there was always a certain element of comparison and rivalry among women.
This time, the hands-down winner was Li Chunfei.
Her mood instantly brightened, and her favorable impression of Qin Feng soared straight up.
"Hey."
Han Xuefen deliberately bumped her hip against Li Chunfei's and said, "Good sister, you should be brave for once. Wouldn't it be a terrible pity if you really missed out on him?"
With that, she casually found an excuse to leave, though as she turned back, she couldn't resist stealing a sideways glance at Qin Feng.
*Sigh.*
Why on earth can't I ever run into such a handsome and gentle younger uncle!
After Han Xuefen left, Li Chunfei and Qin Feng continued browsing the clothes.
Following the earlier farce, a sense of tacit understanding and intimacy seemed to have quietly blossomed between them.
Meanwhile, in the underground parking garage of the mall.
Han Xuefen's mind was still filled with Qin Feng's dashing and extraordinary figure when she suddenly saw Qin Yinglong just parking his car and preparing to step out.
Han Xuefen's heart skipped a beat!
If he made it into the mall, wouldn't that completely ruin Chunfei's wonderful time!
"Qin Yinglong, what are you doing here?"
Han Xuefen hurriedly shouted out.
Qin Yinglong had no choice but to freeze in his tracks: "Han Xuefen? Did you run into Chunfei just now?"
Han Xuefen smiled calmly and said, "Of course I did, but she's already left this place."
Qin Yinglong reached out to pull out his phone to contact Li Chunfei, demanding to know if she had followed Qin Feng to a hotel!
Han Xuefen couldn't help frowning: "Hey! Chunfei was having an exceptionally good time today, so I advise you not to get in her way."
Qin Yinglong's face instantly darkened: "What on earth are you trying to say?"
Han Xuefen sneered coldly: "You're incapable of satisfying Chunfei, yet you begrudge her finding ways to satisfy herself? Surely I don't need to spell it out for you, do I?"
She knew that Qin Yinglong's promiscuous private life in the past had ruined his physical health, yet he had forced Li Chunfei to live like a widow all these years!
Therefore, she had long detested Qin Yinglong to the core!
Having his hidden pain exposed by Han Xuefen, Qin Yinglong instantly flushed with shame and anger!
Han Xuefen continued, "For the past two years, I've never once seen Chunfei laugh as heartily as she did just now. If you still have an ounce of conscience, leave Chunfei alone, lest I despise you even more."
Qin Yinglong knew he was in the wrong, but he still stormed angrily toward the elevator!
Han Xuefen hurriedly typed out a message and sent it to Li Chunfei: "Qin Yinglong is in this mall too!"
Seeing the message from Han Xuefen, Li Chunfei was startled.
She hadn't expected Qin Yinglong to secretly follow her here.
Could it be that he was already suspicious of her?
Li Chunfei felt a flutter of guilt in her heart.
At that moment, Qin Feng's cell phone rang.
The caller ID showed Hong Qingtian, a martial arts expert from the provincial capital!
"Reporting to the Supreme Being, we have successfully tracked down key clues regarding the great fire from back then. If you have time, I will bring the data right over to you."
Qin Feng's eyes instantly lit up.
The knot in his heart was finally beginning to untie!
He sent his location to Hong Qingtian, and the two agreed to meet in half an hour.
Then, turning to Li Chunfei, he said, "Sister-in-law, I have some important matters to attend to."
Li Chunfei nodded in response.
Anyway, she didn't want to see Qin Yinglong either, so this separation of their paths happened to let them avoid each other.
In the parking garage.
Qin Yinglong had originally planned to rush into the mall, but realizing he had forgotten his phone, he hurriedly turned back to the garage.
"They're here?"
Unexpectedly, right at that moment, he saw Qin Feng and Li Chunfei walking down!
And... Li Chunfei's fair, delicate hand was affectionately linked around Qin Feng's arm!
Her proud, ample chest was pressed right against him!
Damn it!
Qin Yinglong's eyes instantly surged with a wave of blinding fury!
Qin Yinglong and Li Chunfei had been together for a full two years, yet Li Chunfei only ever linked her arm with his when accompanying him to banquets—she never did so at any other time!
Yet right now... Li Chunfei was not only brimming with fiery warmth toward Qin Feng, but even wore a radiant smile!
The intense psychological shock made Qin Yinglong's heart ache dully!
A deep, thick jealousy filled him with a hatred for Qin Feng that reached the marrow of his bones!
Yet he was forced to hide right now to avoid being discovered by the two, trailing them closely from a distance!
To his surprise, Qin Feng caught his aura instantly.
Back inside the mall, Qin Feng had already sensed Qin Yinglong watching his and Li Chunfei's interactions from afar through a pair of binoculars.
Therefore, Qin Feng had flicked out a strand of immortal energy, instantly shattering the binoculars in the man's hands!
Now that Qin Yinglong had actually followed them here, it once again confirmed Qin Feng's suspicion that this fellow was harboring malicious intentions.
Furthermore, Li Chunfei, who was right by his side, must also be involved.
"Sister-in-law, there is something I'd like to ask you."
Qin Feng's footsteps suddenly came to a halt.
"Go ahead and ask."
In high spirits, Li Chunfei blinked her bright eyes at Qin Feng.
Qin Feng gave a calm smile, looking back into Li Chunfei's eyes as he said, "Did Qin Yinglong instigate you to use your feminine charms to seduce me, leading me to commit improper acts, and even framing me with a charge of attempted rape?"
"Such a monstrous crime would surely infuriate Grandfather, leading him not only to instantly strip me of my right to inherit ninety percent of the assets, but also to sweep me out the door and utterly ruin my life?"
*Thump!*
Li Chunfei was instantly startled, freezing in place like a wooden chicken. The joyful smile on her face vanished in an instant!
Even her breathing froze!
She had originally intended to find the right moment to confess everything to Qin Feng, but she never expected that Qin Feng had already seen right through it all!
At that moment, she felt as though all the romance and illusions between her and him had been brutally smashed to pieces!
Just a moment ago she had felt as if she were floating in the clouds, but now she had plunged straight into an abyss!
"I understand."
Seeing Li Chunfei's dazed expression, Qin Feng already understood the truth in his heart.
Li Chunfei had expected Qin Feng to fly into a rage of thunderous fury, but she never imagined that Qin Feng would simply give a calm smile and continue walking away.
His attitude of neither arguing nor making a fuss made Li Chunfei's heart ache with excruciating torment!
She almost wished Qin Feng would just give her a tight slap across the face!
"Qin Feng, I'm so sorry!"
Clutching his hand tightly, Li Chunfei's voice trembled: "It was because Qin Yinglong constantly told me in front of you that you were nothing but scum and trash that I harbored such prejudice against you."
"Of course, I have to admit that I also held greedy thoughts toward the tens of billions in assets of the Qin Group, wanting to elevate myself into a top-tier socialite, which is why I agreed to help him seduce you."
"But I swear on my life that running into you on the rooftop last night was pure coincidence; I truly didn't deliberately create the opportunity to approach you."
"It was only after talking with you that I realized you are nothing like the playboy and good-for-nothing Qin Yinglong described, but rather a man who is both a gentleman and wonderfully humorous."
"You probably don't know how excited I was last night when I saw how much we had in common, when you performed magic tricks for me, and when you praised my captivating smile."
"After returning home, my mind was in a whirl of tangled thoughts and I suffered through terrible inner torment, constantly trying to persuade myself that compared to fighting for the Qin Group's multi-billion-dollar fortune, romance meant nothing at all!"
"Yet when I saw you at the breakfast table this morning, every single piece of psychological armor I had built up was completely shattered, and all my resistance and bad intentions toward you vanished into thin air. That was when I knew I had fallen hopelessly and irrevocably in love with you!"
"When I secretly flirted with you under the table, it wasn't because Qin Yinglong ordered me to, but because every word you spoke stirred my heart, making me long to be alone with you."
"Just now, when you gave me that endless sea of blue enchanted roses, do you have any idea how happy I felt inside?"
"You have no idea how proud I felt making Han Xuefen lose to me!"
Li Chunfei's heart was filled with a mixture of shame and sorrow, sparkling tears shimmering in her breathtakingly beautiful eyes.
"Qin Feng, I didn't mean to hurt you. Can you please believe me?"
Gazing into Li Chunfei's tear-filled eyes, Qin Feng offered a gentle smile: "I believe what you said."
Li Chunfei couldn't help starting in surprise.
She clearly found Qin Feng's straightforward answer hard to credit!
"W-why?"
Confused, Li Chunfei couldn't help staring intently at Qin Feng.
Looking at her with soft eyes, Qin Feng smiled and said, "Because the moment I saw you in the coffee shop, I could already see that your eyes were filled with genuine delight, joy, and anticipation."
"And every word and action of yours revealed your tenderness and trust toward me, all of which showed that you genuinely wanted to be close to me from the bottom of your heart. Those kinds of emotional expressions can never be faked, nor can they fool anyone."
"So, I knew that everything you said was true."
Hearing Qin Feng's reply, Li Chunfei trembled all over, and her tears finally broke through their banks.
She never expected that this man would pay attention to her every single detail and hold them so firmly in his heart!
"Qin Feng, you are truly too wonderful..."
Li Chunfei sobbed, a deep sense of shame mingling within her heart alongside overwhelming emotion and joy.
In a certain corner.
Because he was too far away, Qin Yinglong couldn't hear their conversation clearly; he could only watch as Li Chunfei turned her back to him and exchanged lingering gazes with Qin Feng!
The two of them even drew gradually closer and closer together!
Finally, he watched in horror as Li Chunfei threw herself into Qin Feng's arms like a little bird finding its refuge!
Her fair, jade-white arms wrapped tightly around Qin Feng's body!
"This!"
Qin Yinglong instantly felt the world spin and his blood boil with rage!
Damn it! You damned woman!
For two whole years, you've never once embraced me like that!
You've known Qin Feng for less than two days, yet you're already actively throwing yourself at him and fawning over him?
At that moment, Qin Yinglong wanted nothing more than to rush right over!
Yet he had to hold back; otherwise, the entire plot he had meticulously crafted to frame Qin Feng would be completely exposed!
On the other side.
Suddenly being held tightly, Qin Feng was instantly greeted by a wave of elegant, enchanting fragrance rushing right toward him—a sensation that was truly beyond wonderful.
"Sister-in-law, if you don't let go of me now, my older brother might be able to bear it, but my younger brother certainly won't."
Smiling, Qin Feng twitched his thigh slightly.
Naturally understanding the hidden meaning behind Qin Feng's words, Li Chunfei hurriedly released her grip, her face burning fiercely: "I-I would never normally do something like this; don't go getting any weird ideas."
Qin Feng laughed out loud: "It's fine, it definitely doesn't look like that normally either, but Sister-in-law is simply too charming, which is why it turned out this way."
*Pfft!*
Li Chunfei couldn't help laughing through her tears, giving Qin Feng a light slap as she softly murmured, "Qin Feng, I want to thank you. I mean... thank you for choosing to trust me."
"Mm."
Qin Feng nodded slightly: "And I thank you for choosing to be honest with me."
Locking gazes, the two couldn't help laughing out loud, their moods thoroughly uplifted.
Especially Li Chunfei.
Having confessed everything to Qin Feng just then, she had undoubtedly completely destroyed the conspiracy to fight for the Qin Group's multi-billion-dollar fortune, choosing instead to stand firmly on Qin Feng's side.
Although she wasn't certain whether she and Qin Feng would ultimately achieve a happy ending in the future, for now she could finally cast aside her burdens, and her mood became immeasurably lighter.
More importantly, Li Chunfei found herself longing to experience the thrill of breaking through taboos.
After all, the man in question was Qin Feng.
For this man, Li Chunfei was willing to shatter the shackles of worldly conventions!
As she drove away from Qin Feng to return to the corporation, she once again found herself humming a tune involuntarily.
She looked forward to the business banquet scheduled for that evening—though what she cared about wasn't corporate deals, but simply being with Qin Feng.
Meanwhile, after parting ways with Li Chunfei, Qin Feng pondered to himself.
"Li Chunfei is a simple and lovely woman; she deserves to be happy."
Since that bastard Qin Yinglong wanted to play dirty with me, I might as well hand you a green hat as a return gift.
Qin Feng was an immortal being of high cultivation, free and unrestrained; in his eyes, the rigid rules of the mortal world were entirely worthless.
If someone respected him by a foot, he would repay them by ten!
Whoever wanted to harm him, he would pay them back in their own coin!
Of course, there was a more pressing matter right now: unearthing the true mastermind behind the raging fire that had consumed his mother all those years ago.
"Mr. Qin, where would you like to go?"
Hong Qingtian asked hurriedly.
Without answering right away, Qin Feng looked at Hong Qingtian and asked, "How long have you been stuck at the Sixth Stage of Earth Realm?"
With an expression of bitter embarrassment, Hong Qingtian managed a wry smile: "A full six years. I was injured fighting a rival back then, and despite trying every possible method over the years, my cultivation has made zero progress."
Qin Feng nodded slightly: "Then let's head to the largest medicinal herb shop in the city."
Hong Qingtian quickly replied: "The most high-end herbal shop in Guangyun belongs to me. If Mr. Qin has any needs, I can have them delivered to you personally."
Qin Feng smiled faintly: "My purpose in visiting the herb shop this time is to formulate a medicinal prescription for you, to help you rapidly advance your cultivation."
Hearing this, Hong Qingtian trembled all over, almost losing control of the steering wheel!
"Thank you, Mr. Qin! Thank you, Mr. Qin!"
Coming back to his senses, he was instantly filled with surging excitement!
It must be because he had risked his life to protect Mr. Qin during the confrontation with Zhao Yuan earlier that he had managed to win such high regard!
Fate was finally smiling upon him, Hong Qingtian!
Stomping hard on the accelerator, the car roared forward like a speeding arrow!
***
Taishan Medicinal Herb Store.
Hong Qingtian enjoyed immense prestige within the province and ran a vast business empire; this top-tier herbal store happened to be one of his properties.
The store manager was extremely astute and immediately locked the doors to outside customers, ensuring no one would disturb the quiet enjoyment of Hong Qingtian and Mr. Qin!
Qin Feng personally formulated the medicinal herbs for Hong Qingtian, then took out a spirit pill from the medicine bottle gifted by his master, proceeding to decoct it using both gentle and intense heat.
Once Hong Qingtian drank the medicinal broth, the dantian energy sea that had been locked up for six years instantly began to burn!
In the blink of an eye, sweat poured from his entire body!
Every single organ and pore in his body seemed scorching hot!
His body temperature kept climbing until he was on the verge of collapse, at which point he finally let out a deafening roar!
*Boom!*
The foul air and toxins that had clogged his body for a full six years were thoroughly and completely expelled in an instant!
Hong Qingtian felt as though all the meridians throughout his entire body had instantly cleared and opened up!
His breathing grew even deeper and more powerful!
His cultivation skyrocketed instantly!
In the blink of an eye, he leaped across three major realms all at once, directly advancing from the Sixth Stage of Earth Realm to the Ninth Stage!
He was now just a tiny step away from the Heaven Realm that martial artists across the world spent their entire lives pursuing!
"Mr. Qin! I, Hong Qingtian, have no way to repay this, but from this day forward I am willing to serve you like a horse or an ox!"
Overwhelmed with gratitude, Hong Qingtian fell directly to his knees before Qin Feng with a loud thud!
Qin Feng reached down and hauled him back to his feet: "If you truly want to thank me, just do your best to handle matters for me from now on!"
Knowing that Qin Feng cared most about the truth behind that fire from years ago, Hong Qingtian nodded vigorously: "Mr. Qin can rest assured, I will definitely exhaust every possible resource to track down that monitoring device installed by the War Department!"
"Since Mr. Qin's family has deep roots in Guangyun, you will inevitably need a steady supply of medicinal herbs. I would like to present this chain of herbal stores, valued at five billion, to you as a gift. I sincerely hope you won't refuse."
Qin Feng felt a flicker of approval. Although he didn't care much for wealth, Hong Qingtian's intense sincerity brought a genuine spark of pleasure, and an herbal chain store was a solid, tangible asset after all.
"You old fox are quite shrewd. Hurry up and get the investigation started."
"Understood!"
Wiping away his tears of excitement, Hong Qingtian cleared his heart of distractions, brimming with gratitude as he immediately led his trusted subordinates into action!
Meanwhile, Qin Feng meticulously analyzed the data reported by Hong Qingtian, firmly believing that his mother must still be alive.
As long as they found that military monitoring device from back then, the case was bound to break open with new breakthroughs!
Consequently, Qin Feng's mood relaxed considerably as well.
At that moment, his WeChat notification chime sounded.
Sister-in-law Li Chunfei sent a WeChat message: "Don't forget we still have to attend the business dinner together tonight to discuss business, okay!"
The message was even followed by an excited emoji.
Qin Feng couldn't help smiling, his mind instantly flashing back to the alluring outfit Li Chunfei had worn at the mall earlier that day.
Especially that wonderful moment when she had thrown open her arms and tumbled into his embrace—it had been nothing short of exquisite.
With a gentle smile, Qin Feng typed out a reply: "Sister-in-law, I actually did forget about tonight's dinner, but I certainly remember our date tonight."
Message sent successfully!
*Ding-dong!*
Inside her office at the Qin Group headquarters, Li Chunfei looked at Qin Feng's swift reply, her eyes brimming with amusement and a smile.
"Smooth-tongued."
Biting her sensual lips, she tapped the send button.
Qin Feng replied: "Isn't being smooth-tongued a good thing?"
Li Chunfei: "Why?"
Qin Feng: "Only with a smooth tongue can life be lived to its richest and most lubricated."
Li Chunfei's willow-like brows arched, and she instantly caught his drift!
Good grief, the man was driving in the fast lane without a moment's warning!
If any other man had dared to speak to Li Chunfei like that, he would likely have been tossed onto her blacklist instantly.
However, coming from Qin Feng, it only made Li Chunfei feel a burning warmth and surging happiness deep in her heart.
At that moment, Qin Yinglong pushed open the office door.
He happened to catch sight of Li Chunfei lounging casually in her office chair, a pair of long legs encased in black silk draped leisurely across the desk, humming a tune to herself with her cheeks flushed bright red.
It was clear her mood was exceptionally good.
A nameless fury instantly flared in Qin Yinglong's heart, a thousand thoughts racing through his mind.
Today in the mall parking garage you threw yourself into Qin Feng's arms, and now you're chatting away with him so passionately?
Was this the rhythm of being in the throes of a passionate new romance!
Though Qin Yinglong had pursued Li Chunfei bitterly back then merely to show off his prowess before a goddess and satisfy a man's vanity, his actual romantic feelings for her were practically nonexistent.