Chapter 8 The Young Lady Has Been Eating Sand for Three Years, Part 7

Toward elders—especially those advanced in age—Qin Ye's demeanor remained gentle. But as for the cousins and siblings who pushed the elders forward as their own proxies, Qin Ye had little patience. Each time they tried to interject, a single glance from Qin Ye sent them shrinking back into silence.

So it was that the Qin family made their round with the old patriarch, gaining nothing for their troubles. In front of Qin Ye, none dared utter a complaint, but the moment they stepped outside the door, they all began to grumble and bicker.

“Qin the Third is truly ungrateful. We’re his own brothers and sisters—would we ever harm him? But look at him now, acting superior just because he’s become successful, turning his back on his own kin.” The one who first aired his grievances was the eldest, Qin the First, who had always lorded his status as the eldest over his siblings when they were young, enjoying the privileges and respect that came with it.

Originally, Qin the First was the most accomplished among the siblings. But then Qin the Third—Qin Ye’s predecessor—rose from obscurity, building his fortune from nothing, his assets growing with each passing day, until he replaced Qin the First as the most accomplished member of three generations. Qin the First resented this, drawing further away from his brother. Yet, seeing his other siblings benefit from cozying up to Qin the Third while he remained an ordinary man, he eventually set aside his pride and sought reconciliation.

He’d thought that, as the eldest, Qin the Third would never refuse him. But the truth was, Qin the Third did refuse. All Qin the First wanted was a senior position in the company, complete with a driver and the honor of being called “President Qin.” If Qin the Third was willing to elevate strangers, why not his own cousin?

The rejection stung so deeply that Qin the First swore never to speak to him again. But when Qin the Third’s only child—a daughter—was born, Qin the First regained his confidence. No matter how great Qin the Third became, he had only a girl, while he himself had three sons. If Qin the Third would only ask, he’d be happy to let his youngest son be adopted, so his brother would have someone to tend to his old age.

Qin the First waited and waited, but Qin the Third never came to him. Figuring that as the eldest he ought to be magnanimous, he went himself to “help plan” for his brother’s future. No sooner had he made his suggestion, however, than Qin the Third unleashed a torrent of abuse. And when little Qin Yue came looking for her father, Qin the First openly called her a burden, accusing Qin the Third of working for another man’s wife and child.

Furious, Qin the Third nearly came to blows with his brother, and only intervention from others prevented a scene. After that, Qin the Third distanced himself from the family, refusing to see anyone—even when he did, his attitude was icy.

If not for being pushed along by their aging father, Qin the First wouldn’t have seen Qin Ye at all this time. Not that it mattered—seeing him achieved nothing.

“That’s right,” another agreed. “He’s grown more and more outrageous. When he was younger, he was just stubborn. Let him be stubborn, we thought—one day he’d realize how miserable it is to have no son to carry on the family line.”

“Exactly. Let him be stubborn. Now he’s older, he must regret not having a son, but even so, he refuses to reconcile with us. He’s lost his mind.”

“I heard from my son that this game—what’s it called, World something—has taken the world by storm. The daily cash flow is over a hundred million. Imagine, just from this one game, he must be making tens of millions in profit every day. And that’s just the game—the real money, my son says, is in the patent for their holographic technology. With all that wealth, he’d rather let it go to strangers than share it with his own flesh and blood.”

Their complaints were abruptly cut off by a well-maintained, elegantly dressed woman, who interrupted, “That’s enough. If you’ve got something to say, why not say it to Third Brother’s face? You were all silent as mice just now.”

“That’s easy for you to say. You have a daughter, and because of her, Third Brother adores you. Your daughter even works in his company—it’s no wonder you defend him.”

“Nonsense! My daughter got her position on merit. If your sons were any good, maybe he’d have taken them too, instead of you expecting him to hand over profits for nothing.”

“Don’t talk rubbish. Your daughter is just a burden—sooner or later, she’ll marry out, and you’ll be left with nothing.”

The argument descended into a shouting match, with the elegant woman putting everyone else to shame. Meanwhile, their father sat in his wheelchair, clapping his hands like a delighted child, oblivious to the true nature of the quarrel. If not for the increasing number of onlookers, they might have argued until nightfall.

At last, the elegant woman wheeled their father away, taking him for a stroll, clearly uninterested in further involvement. This drew another round of curses from Qin the First—if she didn’t want a part in this, fine, but why take their father along? Without him, they wouldn’t even have a chance to see Qin Ye.

Qin Ye was less sentimental than his predecessor. The old Qin would keep his distance, but still allowed some family members to hold high positions in minor subsidiaries of the Qin Corporation, enjoying handsome benefits. Qin Ye had barely remembered their existence, busy as he was with his research.

But now, seeing them wheel their senile, half-remembering father to his door, Qin Ye dredged up every memory of them from his predecessor’s mind. Since they’d been recalled, what was the use of keeping these parasites around? He dismissed them all, and ordered a thorough investigation of every subsidiary where they’d worked.

Having been expelled, these relatives—competence aside—were accustomed to wielding power and resented the younger generation. Nursing their grievances, they planned to have their parents confront Qin Ye, unwilling to let the matter rest.

But when news broke that the head office was sending auditors, panic spread. They were supposed to serve the company, not embezzle for their own debauchery. Perhaps others could do so, but not them. Protected by their status as kin, they had become the most brazen of all.

Did they really think their uncle would have the heart to send them to prison? Surely, he’d have to clean up after them in the end. But this time Qin Ye seemed serious.

Now, instead of demanding explanations, they begged their parents to plead with Qin Ye—by threat, by supplication, by whatever means necessary—to spare them this once.

They admitted, when they heard how Qin Ye donated vast sums to charity, they felt a deep bitterness, prompting Qin the First to bring their father to beg for benefits.

But never had they expected that, in front of Qin Ye, they would be cowed into silence by a single glance. They gained nothing, and instead, Qin Ye began purging the company, turning their scheme against them.

Of course, they didn’t see themselves as parasites—the company belonged to the Qin family, so what was wrong with using a little of its money? In their eyes, it was Qin Ye who was unfeeling, cold, and selfish.

The next time Qin Ye encountered the Qin family, they arrived en masse—elders like his Second Uncle, Qin Yue’s great-uncle, once wheeled in by his children, and even infants of the fourth generation, carried in their parents’ arms.

This so-called family feast was cobbled together under the pretense of fulfilling the old patriarch’s dying wish: to see his children and grandchildren gathered together one last time.

When Qin Ye received the invitation, his expression was one of clear distaste. Only the knowledge that the old man was genuinely his elder—and had treated his predecessor decently—prompted him to send his assistant to confirm his attendance.

Back when the old man was of sound mind, he’d kept his children in check, preventing them from leeching off Qin Ye. It was only after he declined into senility that the younger generation dared to line their pockets—otherwise, the matter would have come to light much sooner.

When Qin Ye arrived, the entire family was already present—a great, bustling crowd. Qin family members, their wives’ relatives—Qin Ye glanced over them and found none familiar.

Of his predecessor’s nieces and nephews, he remembered only Qin Xue—a girl whose mother was from the Qin family, and after an unfortunate marriage and no help from her brothers or sisters, found aid from her cousin, who’d never been particularly close. Later, Qin Xue took her mother’s surname, and from a young age was fiercely independent. After graduation, she joined a significant subsidiary of the Qin Corporation and rose to an executive position. As long as she made no mistakes, it was expected she would transfer to headquarters by year’s end. Qin Xue was five years older than Qin Yue, and they got along well.

When the Qin Corporation collapsed, Qin Xue discovered someone was targeting Qin Yue, punishing anyone who tried to help her. After identifying the culprit, Qin Xue changed tactics, covertly aiding Qin Yue while waiting for a chance to take down Gu Yeting.

No matter what resentments the Qin family harbored, when Qin Ye appeared, every face split into a smile, and all vied to ingratiate themselves. Qin Ye wasn’t late—he arrived precisely on time; it was the family who’d come early, eager to wait.

When they saw him, they smiled and craned their necks, searching behind him. At last, Qin the First spoke up: “Third Brother, where is Yueyue?”