76: Chapter 76 Cousin Qin Xiaoyue

At the same time Qin Yi was heading back, in a building within the Digital Port Community of Jingnan City, Qin Jianren sat leisurely at a tea table. He gently stroked a warm teacup, savoring the tea with a look of contentment and a hint of carefree ease in his eyes.

Su Fangfang sat opposite him, her hands folded on the table. Her eyes held a trace of worry as she looked at Qin Jianren and couldn't help but ask, "Jianren, how can you still be in the mood to drink tea so leisurely? Aren't you going to ask how your older brother and his family are doing? Those people looked fierce; your brother's family is probably going to suffer quite a bit this time."

Hearing this, a faint smile played on the corners of Qin Jianren's mouth. He calmly picked up the teapot, elegantly poured a cup for Su Fangfang, and then gently set it down before slowly speaking with a hint of mockery, "What? Are you planning to call them and pay back that two hundred million for them? Or what else do you have in mind?"

Su Fangfang glared at Qin Jianren and said crossly, "Oh, how could I possibly pay it back for them? Our money didn't just fall from the sky. Besides, two hundred million is no small amount. How would we pay it? You tell me, how?"

Qin Jianren took a sip of tea, a glint of cunning flashing in his eyes as he continued, "Exactly. We can't pay it back for them, so why call? It would only add to our troubles. Besides, that kid Qin Yi already said he's cutting ties with us. Their family won't have anything to do with ours from now on! So, let's not get mixed up in this mess."

Su Fangfang frowned slightly and complained dissatisfiedly, "How can you say it has nothing to do with us? The house they're living in now is the Qin Family's Ancestral Home! If it ever gets demolished for redevelopment, such a large courtyard would be worth a lot of money..."

Qin Jianren shook his head helplessly and gave a bitter laugh, "Heh, so it turns out you're eyeing that old house..."

Su Fangfang glared at him, her tone filled with dissatisfaction, "What else? You, the younger brother, aren't even helping your own brother. Why should I, the sister-in-law, be so concerned? Isn't it all for you, for Xiao Yue, and for the good of our family!"

Seeing this, Qin Jianren quickly nodded in agreement, a flattering smile appearing on his face. "Yes, yes, my dear wife is right. But after all, that old house is in the village. Who knows when the government will get around to demolishing it? We don't usually go back anyway, so just let the older brother's family stay there for now. Think of it as them looking after the Ancestral Home for us."

Su Fangfang's brow furrowed, still somewhat unwilling. "So we're just going to let their whole family live there like that? No matter how you look at it, half of that old house should be yours..."

Qin Jianren sighed helplessly and consoled her, "Oh, enough. It's just an old house. What, do you want to collect rent from them? It's only worth a thousand or so a year; is it really worth it? If Xiao Yue finds out, it won't look good!"

Hearing this, Su Fangfang suddenly came to her senses. She hurriedly got up to get her phone, a look of anxiety appearing on her face.

Seeing her like this, Qin Jianren felt amused and asked, "What's wrong now?"

While fumbling for her phone, Su Fangfang said anxiously, "What's wrong? I need to call Xiao Yue right away and tell her not to contact Qin Yi for no reason. You know how she's been clingy with Qin Yi since they were kids. With Qin Yi's current situation, once he goes back to Magic City, who knows if he'll trouble Xiao Yue... I can't let Xiao Yue suffer!" With that, she hurriedly dialed the number.

Qin Jianren shook his head silently, a bitter smile tugging at his lips, his eyes revealing a hint of helplessness.

Before long, the call went through. Su Fangfang pressed the speakerphone button, and a lazy female voice came from the other end: "Hello... who is it?"

"You brat, what time is it! Why aren't you awake yet!" Su Fangfang said angrily, her brow furrowed, clearly dissatisfied with her daughter's daily routine.

In an apartment in Magic City, Qin Xiaoyue was wearing a cartoon onesie, curled up on a large pink bed. She brought the phone screen closer to her eyes, and when she saw the name on the caller ID, she said impatiently, "Oh, Mom, it's the weekend... I worked overtime last night. What's wrong with sleeping in a bit..." As she spoke, she yawned and stretched.

"Worked overtime..." Su Fangfang gave an embarrassed smile, her tone becoming much gentler. "Xiao Yue, you've just started working. Is it tiring? Are you settling in okay?"

Qin Xiaoyue rolled over and lay on her stomach, pressing a pillow beneath her. She replied, "Oh, it's fine. Mom, what's actually going on? If there's nothing, I'm hanging up; I'm still sleepy..." She yawned again, clearly uninterested in her mother's call.

"Wait, don't. There's something..." Su Fangfang glanced at Qin Jianren, gesturing for him to talk to their daughter, but Qin Jianren quickly waved his hand in refusal. He didn't want to get involved in this.

Su Fangfang had no choice. After pointing at Qin Jianren, she had to brace herself and say, "Well, it's like this. This morning, your father and I went to your uncle's house. Xiao Yi is back too."

Upon hearing that Qin Yi was back in Jingnan, Qin Xiaoyue immediately perked up. Her eyes widened instantly as she asked, "My brother is back? I haven't been in touch with him for a long time. I wonder if he's gotten even more handsome..." She chuckled twice, clearly having deep feelings for her older cousin.

Qin Xiaoyue didn't know the specifics of what had happened to Qin Yi's family. Qin Jianren and Su Fangfang doted on their daughter and hadn't mentioned it to her. She only knew that her uncle's factory had gone bankrupt and the family had moved back to the Ancestral Home. As for the rest, she wasn't very clear.

Su Fangfang cleared her throat and responded awkwardly, "Well, Xiao Yue... you were in school before, so we didn't tell you about the things happening with your uncle's family."

"Uh," Qin Xiaoyue was stunned. Linking it to Qin Yi's return to Jingnan, a bad thought crossed her mind, and she hurriedly asked, "What's wrong? Are Uncle and the others sick?" She sat up straight, clearly concerned about this question.

"No, it's not that... but as you know, your uncle's factory went bankrupt..." At this point, Su Fangfang paused to organize her words. She couldn't act too mercenary in front of her daughter, so she continued, "We only found out this morning. Your uncle... he owes money to loan sharks. This morning, a large group of people showed up with weapons to collect the debt."

"What?" Hearing this, Qin Xiaoyue was no longer sleepy. She scrambled up and asked, "Is Uncle okay? How's my brother? Is he hurt?" She clenched her fists nervously, clearly very worried about the safety of her uncle's family.

"Well... we're not sure about that. The reason I'm calling you is that the amount your uncle owes the loan sharks is quite large; he probably won't be able to pay it back anytime soon. I heard Qin Yi say he found a job in Magic City too. Since you're also in Magic City, it's better if you don't contact him much in the future!" Su Fangfang advised earnestly.

"What?" Qin Xiaoyue was a bit dazed, thinking she had misheard. She asked back, "Mom, what are you saying? That's my brother! He used to take such good care of me. Now that Uncle's family is in trouble, you're telling me not to contact him?" She stood up excitedly, clearly very dissatisfied with her mother's request.

"Oh, Xiao Yue! Listen to me. Your uncle owes two hundred million to loan sharks! How can that ever be paid back? To tell you the truth, this morning, Qin Yi and your uncle made it clear that they're cutting ties with our family. Their business has nothing to do with us anymore!" Su Fangfang also stood up, explaining anxiously.

"Two... two hundred million? How is that possible!" Qin Xiaoyue found it hard to accept this fact for a moment. Although she knew her uncle used to run a steel factory and was quite wealthy, how could he owe so much to loan sharks... She sat back down on the bed helplessly, shocked by the figure.

Su Fangfang advised again, "Xiao Yue, with a debt of two hundred million, your uncle's family will never recover in this lifetime. I know you and Qin Yi have been close since childhood, but this is the situation. Even if we sold all our family's assets, we still couldn't pay off that money... So, you should contact Qin Yi less in the future. It's better for both you and him."

"But... Qin Yi is my brother after all... He's in trouble now, how can I not help! No, I have to call and ask him." Qin Xiaoyue was about to hang up, not intending to follow her mother's advice.

Su Fangfang became anxious and shouted angrily, "You brat! My words don't matter anymore, do they?! I'm warning you, if you dare contact that kid Qin Yi again, I'll have your father cut off your monthly allowance!" She pointed at the phone in frustration.

"Hmph! Whatever! I don't care. No matter what, Qin Yi is still my brother!" After saying that, Qin Xiaoyue didn't wait for Su Fangfang to say anything else and immediately hung up.

Su Fangfang glared at Qin Jianren, her hand trembling as she pointed at the phone and complained, "This brat! She won't listen to reason!" She sat on the sofa in anger, feeling helpless about her daughter's behavior.

Qin Jianren also sighed helplessly, "Sigh, alright, as long as the child knows. You know how close those two were when they were little; if she wants to stay in touch, let her. To put it bluntly, with her small salary, what can she even do? Even if she helps, how much can she really help... Forget it, just leave it be!"

"You, you just keep spoiling her! I'm telling you, this girl is getting more and more disobedient. Don't give her this month's allowance!" Su Fangfang said angrily.

"Oh, raise a son in poverty and a daughter in wealth. If I don't give it to her, do you want her to go ask those punks outside? Alright, she's our own daughter after all, you can't really be that heartless..." Qin Jianren muttered to himself, continuing to drink his tea, completely ignoring his wife's threats.

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