Chapter 68.3 — Birthday Banquet

"Mr. Qin, will you please stop making up relations? He who is unjust is doomed to destruction—are you familiar with this saying? Don't assume your misdeeds are unknown." After saying that, Su Yanyi took Qin Jiran's hand and walked away. She couldn't be bothered to continue entertaining them, but she would make sure to deliver them the punishments they deserved.

Su Yanmo had no reason to stay either, as it was time for the banquet to start and there were no more guests for him to receive, so he also made to leave. Just as he turned around, however, he was stopped by someone.

"Brother Su, long time no see. My parents and I sincerely wish to celebrate the Old Master's birthday, so can you let us in? Please?" A soft voice spoke up from within the Qin family's group of people. Su Yanyi looked over and found that the woman was slightly familiar. A lovesick classmate from middle school, if she recalled correctly.

After all, like Qin Jiran, her brother Su Yanmo was a man of outstanding appearance, with a dazzling family background to boot. Therefore, he'd grown up being pursued by countless girls, and the girl who had just spoken, Qin Ying was one of them. She was the only daughter of Qin Zhenli, the third master of the Qin family, and she was the epitome of a typical rich young miss.

Apparently, in her middle school days, she tried to pursue Su Yanmo by giving him a love letter. However, he never read it and was only vaguely familiar with her at best.

"If my sister doesn't like the Qin family, then neither does the rest of our family. Do you think my grandpa would allow people he doesn't like in to celebrate his birthday?" Su Yanmo rejected coldly.

Although the members of the Su family all seemed rather independent of each other, the truth was that every single one of them was extremely family-oriented. The Qin family was the opposite, putting little to no emphasis on family relations, making the Su family hold them in contempt.

Su Yanmo promptly turned around, leaving the Qin family and the Wang family with the group of guards.

"Second brother, take a look at the son you sired. While we were being humiliated, he just stood there and said nothing! No wonder you sent him to the orphanage." Qin Zhenren immediately started to provoke his greatest opponent, Qin Zhenyi.

Of the three brothers, Qin Zhenren was the eldest, but he had a frivolous personality that Old Master Qin didn't quite approve of. Qin Zhenyi, on the other hand, was the most favored thanks to his solemn and steady personality. Old Master Qin trusted him with several responsibilities and important opportunities.

The youngest was Qin Zhenli, who had been born too late to gain much despite also being favored. Furthermore, he seldom confronted his brothers, as though intending to simply sit back and watch the tigers fight rather than join in.

From start to finish, Qin Zhenyi stayed silent. He'd merely furrowed his brows and watched, and although his gaze was fixated on Qin Jiran for a long time, it was not a fatherly gaze. It was scrutinizing and disdainful, because to him, Qin Jiran was a stain that he had no choice but to acknowledge.

Qin Jiran had actually long noticed Qin Zhenyi's gaze, along with the dissatisfaction contained in it. But so what? He'd already established that he shared absolutely no ties with the Qin family, and his biological father was nothing more than a stranger to him. There was no need for him to care about a stranger's opinions.

"Eldest brother, that's enough. The Su family isn't so easy to provoke." Qin Zhenyi had some IQ; at least, it was higher than Qin Zhenren's. If the Su family wasn't one of the great families, however, he definitely wouldn't have kept quiet.

When Qin Jiran's identity as his illegitimate son was disclosed, Qin Zhenyi's first thought had been to dispose of him. Not by killing him, of course, but by making him disappear from the public eye before escaping abroad, just like he had done in the past, erasing this stain from his and the public's sight.

However, it was impossible considering Qin Jiran's current status. The Su family was not in any way weaker than the Qin family. As long as Qin Jiran had their protection, Qin Zhenyi would not be able to do anything to him.

Therefore, for the time being, Qin Zhenyi intended to stay low and simply observe, though by no means was he happy about the direction things were developing. When he read the articles written about Qin Jiran's past —most implied that he was ruthless and unfit to be a father— Qin Zhenyi's entire body had trembled in anger, but even so, he'd endured.

With some investigating, he was later able to confirm that his eldest brother, intent on destroying his reputation and chances of inheriting the Qin family's fortune, was the one behind the articles. To Qin Zhenren's chagrin and Qin Zhenyi's pleasant surprise, however, their father ended up taking an interest in Qin Jiran.

Although Qin Zhenyi was unwilling to accept Qin Jiran, the Qin family's fortune far outweighed his dislike for his illegitimate son. In his opinion, every man was born for ambition and power. If Qin Jiran's existence could gain him extra favor from Old Master Qin, then Qin Zhenyi wouldn't mind reluctantly tolerating the existence of the stain.

Alas, things weren't going well. Qin Jiran seemed to be serious about breaking off relations with the Qin family, refusing to meet the old master. It worried Qin Zhenyi, and he wanted to have a talk with Qin Jiran to convince him.

Despite everything, he had to admit that Qin Jiran had grown up well. Qin Zhenyi had decided that if Qin Jiran chose to stand on the Qin family's side at the banquet, he would accept his illegitimate son's return to the family.

Unfortunately for him, he unable to get a chance to talk with Qin Jiran, and it seemed like the Su family was quite unhappy with the Qin family.

When his thoughts reached this point, Qin Zhenyi's eyes darkened slightly. He would have to think through this dilemma seriously.

If he could convince Qin Jiran to stand on his side, then he would simultaneously have the support of the Su family, which would in turn secure his position as the inheritor…

Off at the side, the youngest Qin Zhenli was staring after Su Yanmo with a thoughtful look on his face. Then, taking advantage of the others' inattention, he leaned down and whispered a few words to his daughter, Qin Ying. Her eyes lit up, and her cheeks reddened slightly. She also shifted her gaze to the departing Su Yanmo as a certain expression appeared on her face.

Evidently, every member of the Qin family was lost in their own thoughts. That being said, who knew which one of them would come out laughing at the end?