77: Chapter 77 The Qin Jianren Couple's Deep Regret

Qin Xiaoyue flipped through her phone's contact list, her fingertip sliding across the screen before finally stopping on Qin Yi's name.

Her heart was a whirlwind of emotions. Although her mother hadn't explained over the phone why Qin Yi had said he wanted to sever ties with their family, she could figure it out with a little thought; it was certainly because her parents had refused to help her eldest uncle pay back his debts.

She hesitated for a moment but eventually summoned her courage and pressed the call button.

The phone rang two or three times, each ring feeling like a hammer strike against her heart, making her even more nervous.

At that moment, Qin Yi was driving. Seeing the caller ID was Qin Xiaoyue, his brow furrowed slightly, his heart filled with doubt.

Why was his cousin calling him all of a sudden? Had she also seen the video online? Or had his second uncle and aunt told her about what happened this morning?

He hesitated for a moment before finally picking up the phone.

"Hello, Brother? Brother, are you okay? My mom just called and said a group of people carrying weapons went to your house to collect debts. They didn't hurt you, did they?" As soon as the call connected, Qin Xiaoyue's anxious voice came through, filled with obvious worry and concern.

Hearing Qin Xiaoyue's voice, Qin Yi felt a strange warmth in his heart.

Even though they weren't biological siblings, the bond of growing up together made them feel like close family.

He cleared his throat and replied with a smile, "Don't worry, Xiao Yue, I'm fine... Oh right, I heard from Second Aunt that you found a job? Congratulations."

"Sigh, what job? I just signed with a live-streaming guild to film videos and do broadcasts. It's so hard to find work these days... Oh, never mind me. What's the situation with Eldest Uncle? How did he end up owing so much money? I just started working so I don't have much, but I have over ten thousand. How about I transfer it to you first for the emergency?" Qin Xiaoyue said sincerely, her tone full of concern for Qin Yi.

Qin Yi felt a surge of warmth at her words and responded with a smile, "No need, Xiao Yue. The loan shark situation has been resolved. By the way, I might be heading back to Magic City in a few days. I'll treat you to a meal then."

"Resolved? Brother, don't lie to me. It's two hundred million; how could it be resolved so quickly..." Qin Xiaoyue's brow furrowed, clearly skeptical of Qin Yi's words.

Qin Yi laughed heartily and said confidently, "When has your brother ever lied to you? What, you don't believe in my strength? Alright, just focus on your live-streaming for now. I'm still driving, so I won't say more. Once I'm in Magic City, we'll meet up and talk in detail."

"Oh, alright then... Brother, stay safe." Although Qin Xiaoyue was still a bit confused, she chose to believe Qin Yi.

After hanging up, Qin Xiaoyue's brow remained furrowed. Just then, the live-streaming guild's WeChat group started pinging with several consecutive messages.

"@Everyone, streamers please pay attention. This short video is trending very high; we need to learn from it! Especially the male streamers in the guild—don't act like sissies all day. This afternoon, the guild has invited professional martial arts choreographers to the company for training. Everyone must attend; no leaves allowed! Those absent will be treated as skipping work! Reply 'Received' when you see this!"

"Received!"

"Received! +1"

...

Qin Xiaoyue sighed helplessly and muttered to herself, "What a buzzkill, it's the weekend, man..." She shook her head, her eyes showing a hint of exhaustion, but she still replied "Received" in the WeChat group before clicking on the short video forwarded in the group.

The next moment, Qin Xiaoyue's expression shifted from lack of interest to curiosity, then to surprise, and finally froze in shock.

She sat bolt upright on the bed as if pinned there, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open. Her voice was filled with disbelief, and her hands nervously gripped the corner of the quilt as she cried out, "This... isn't this my brother... and isn't this house the old residence..."

Although the video had been edited and processed, Qin Xiaoyue could still faintly hear mentions of "two hundred million" and similar phrases.

When she saw the end of the video, where Qin Yi handed his bank card to the thugs and took several pages of contracts, her expression became even more solemn. At that moment, she truly believed what Qin Yi had said on the phone.

Without stopping to think, Qin Xiaoyue immediately called her mother, Su Fangfang, again.

The call was answered quickly. Before Su Fangfang could speak, Qin Xiaoyue said urgently, "Mom, I just got in touch with Brother. He said Eldest Uncle's loan shark debt has been resolved!"

"What did you say?" Su Fangfang looked at Qin Jianren, who was fiddling with a tea set nearby, in disbelief.

Hearing this, Qin Jianren also looked over curiously, putting down the tea set with a faint clink.

Su Fangfang quickly turned on the speakerphone and moved closer to Qin Jianren. Her voice was full of doubt as she said again, "Repeat what you just said?"

Qin Xiaoyue said excitedly, "I said, I just contacted Brother Qin Yi. He said the loan shark debt Eldest Uncle owed has been resolved!"

Qin Jianren stood up abruptly at the news. The purple clay teacup in his hand slipped due to his movement and shattered on the tea table with a crisp sound.

His eyes widened as he said incredulously, "This... how is this possible! That was a two-hundred-million-yuan debt. How could he, a mere office worker, possibly pay it off!"

"I didn't believe it at first either. Mom, Dad, wait a second. I'll send you a video to watch, and then you'll believe it!" As Qin Xiaoyue spoke, she tapped away on her phone and forwarded the short video to Su Fangfang's WeChat.

Soon, the sound of the video playing came from Su Fangfang's phone. When the video was nearly over, Qin Xiaoyue spoke again, her voice tinged with a smile, "Mom, Dad, you believe it now, right? My brother is amazing—he's handsome, has great kung fu, and can make so much money. When he goes back to Magic City, I want to work for him!"

However, Su Fangfang didn't pay attention to Qin Xiaoyue's words. Instead, she looked at Qin Jianren with a face full of disbelief. Her hands were nervously twisted together, and her eyes revealed a hint of panic as she asked, "Jianren, what do we do now?"

"That brat Qin Yi was intentionally playing poor to trick us!" Qin Jianren clenched his fists in shame and anger, thumping his thigh. His tone was filled with regret and fury. "Two hundred million... if Qin Yi can pay back two hundred million, then he definitely has much more than that. And that rolls-royce cullinan... he must have bought it himself and lied, saying the dealership owner rented it to him. Tell me, how could I have believed his nonsense!"

"Oh dear, what do we do now? We were planning to go over and smooth things over, but now look—we've completely severed ties..." Su Fangfang said anxiously, her hands waving wildly in the air as if trying to grab onto something.

"What do we do, what do we do... How should I know what to do..." Qin Jianren was now like an ant on a hot pan, completely at a loss. He clutched his head and sat down painfully on the sofa.

Just then, Qin Xiaoyue's voice came from the phone: "Mom, Dad, I don't know what you did to make Brother Qin Yi so angry that he'd say he's severing ties with our family. But I think that might just be him speaking in anger. If you truly realize your mistake, just go to his door and apologize sincerely. We're all family; what's wrong with bowing your head and apologizing?"

"Xiao Yue is right," Su Fangfang's eyes lit up at the suggestion. She looked at Qin Jianren with a glimmer of hope, tugged at his clothes, and urged, "Jianren, how about we go over there again? You and Big Brother are brothers from the same womb; even if you break the bones, the tendons are still connected. Can a blood relation really be severed just like that?"

Qin Jianren's brow furrowed, his tone full of helplessness and worry. He spoke hesitantly, "I don't mind bowing my head to apologize to Big Brother... but the problem is, what Sister-in-Law said this morning... I'm afraid a simple apology won't be enough for her to forgive us..."

"Oh, if she doesn't forgive you, just keep apologizing! You said it yourself just now—Xiao Yi's current net worth is definitely not just two hundred million. Now that Big Brother's loan shark problem is solved, he'll definitely make a comeback. If we don't rush to curry favor now, when will we!" Su Fangfang said anxiously, her hands twisting together again, her eyes showing a hint of urgency.

"Sigh!" Qin Jianren sighed deeply and gave himself a slap across the face. "Look at me! How could I have believed that brat's words! Now I have to go apologize again. Think of my pride..."

"Enough already," Su Fangfang also frowned, urging him anxiously. "Is your pride more important, or our family's livelihood? Think about it—ever since Big Brother's Huajian Steel Plant went bankrupt, your office supply business has dropped more than just a little. If this keeps up, I think our family business will go bankrupt too!"

On the other end of the phone, Qin Xiaoyue shook her head helplessly as she listened to her parents' conversation, thinking to herself: They still haven't recognized their own mistakes... If they go to apologize like this, they'll probably just get the door slammed in their faces.

However, Qin Xiaoyue didn't stop them. It was good to let her parents suffer a bit. When Eldest Uncle was doing well, they were brothers from the same womb; when he wasn't, they severed ties. How can anyone act like that!

"Alright, Mom, Dad, I have to go to the company this afternoon, so I won't chat with you anymore. I need to get up and get ready. Hanging up!" Qin Xiaoyue said and ended the call.

Su Fangfang and Qin Jianren couldn't be bothered with their daughter now. They brought out the gifts they had carried over that morning.

Su Fangfang looked at the pile of items and hesitated. "Taking these back again... wouldn't that be bad?"

"Nonsense!" Qin Jianren glared at Su Fangfang and complained, "It's all your fault. I told you, if we're leaving, just leave, but you had to ask for the gifts back..."

"Oh, so now you know how to blame me! The situation is already like this—you tell me what to do then!" Su Fangfang refused to back down, putting her hands on her hips and glaring back at Qin Jianren.

Qin Jianren pondered and said, "What else can we do? Buy new ones! Don't just get two bottles of moutai; buy a whole case directly. We have to bleed a little this time! And cigarettes—pick the two most expensive cartons! As for those health supplements of yours, pick the most expensive ones for each! In short: don't look for the best, just the most expensive! That's the only way to show we're sincere!"

"Mhm, mhm, Hubby, you always have a way! However, Xiao Yi has so much money, he probably won't care about these little things. When you see Big Brother and Sister-in-Law later, you still have to apologize sincerely. If it really doesn't work, just kneel there!"

"Alright, what are you saying! That's my big brother; would he really have the heart to let me kneel?"

With that said, the two of them hurried out the door.

...