Chapter 9: The Young Lady Has Been Eating Sand for Three Years Now (Part 8)

They had deliberately said that the old man’s days were numbered, and that he wished to see his descendants gathered together, which was why this meeting had been arranged.

Their true purpose was Qin Yue.

Unable to control Qin Ye, and wary of overstepping in his presence, they sought another way in, attempting to start with Qin Yue.

Yet the original Qin Ye had always guarded against them, seldom allowing Qin Yue to interact with them. After Qin Ye arrived, he sent Qin Yue abroad, and only a handful of trusted confidants knew where she had gone.

Among Qin Yue’s generation, there were many siblings, mostly brothers.

These brothers largely looked down upon Qin Yue, perhaps influenced by their parents and bolstered by their own sense of superiority, given their numbers.

Those older, younger, and even those the same age as Qin Yue rarely cared to include her in their games.

If a child is suffering, even if they don’t complain, attentive parents can always see it in their demeanor.

The original Qin Ye was wholly devoted to his daughter, believing her to be peerless.

How could he possibly know she was being wronged and not care, or worse, instruct her to endure for the sake of maintaining some hollow family harmony?

He promptly separated his daughter from the unruly children.

In other words, all the Qin family knew Qin Ye valued Qin Yue, but deep down they still looked down on her because she was a girl.

Furthermore, they believed that as Qin Yue was a girl, Qin Ye’s assets would be theirs as well.

In their hearts, Qin Yue was a thorn in their side.

Yet, at times, they desperately needed this thorn to appear.

After all, Qin Ye wouldn’t heed their words, but Qin Yue’s voice mattered.

Not all of the Qin family were fools; some reached out to the villa staff.

Aunt Zhang was a long-time servant of the villa, renowned for her cooking, having worked in the Qin family kitchen since Qin Ye’s wife was alive.

Aunt Zhang had a son, but he was ungrateful, demanding money and beating her if she couldn’t provide.

Aunt Zhang herself was clear-headed; working for the family, she ate what they ate and was treated well so long as she performed her duties. She realized she had no need for a son.

After this realization, she cut contact with her son and happily continued working at the Qin villa, enjoying dance at the square in her free time.

Moreover, she had watched Miss Qin Yue grow up—always adorable—and Aunt Zhang’s loyalty was unwaveringly with her.

The Qin family approached the villa staff, coaxing Aunt Zhang, who had no defenses, to share stories about Qin Yue from childhood.

Caught up in conversation, Aunt Zhang inadvertently mentioned how Qin Yue had once risked her life for someone she loved, forcing Qin Ye’s hand.

Realizing her slip, Aunt Zhang immediately fell silent and, troubled, confided in Qin Ye.

Qin Ye reassured her, easing her worries.

From Aunt Zhang, the Qin family learned that Qin Ye was utterly powerless against his daughter’s tears—he would pluck stars from the sky if she asked.

The Qin family felt they finally had leverage.

But the key to controlling Qin Ye was having Qin Yue on their side.

The problem was, they had no idea where Qin Yue was.

That left them stumped.

So, after much deliberation, they brought out the old father, using his final wish as a pretext for the gathering, all in hopes of seeing Qin Yue.

Qin Ye attended, but Qin Yue did not.

Wasn’t this banquet wasted?

Eldest Qin’s urgency was palpable.

Qin Ye glanced at him, “You’ve never cared whether Yue attended or not.”

“Come now, Yue is my niece. Second Uncle’s dying wish is to see all his descendants together. Yue is part of the Qin family—my father surely wants to see her. When she was little, he adored her, wanted her with him everywhere.”

Qin Ye looked away, “I didn’t tell Yue.”

“Oh, you shouldn’t leave Yue out. Without her, the gathering isn’t complete…”

Qin Ye ignored him, walking straight past him to the old man.

The elder looked frail, attended only by his plump daughter who never left his side.

Seeing Qin Ye approach with his cane, the old man’s eyes brightened. He struggled to raise his hand, veins prominent, his wrist so thin it was little more than skin and bone.

It wasn’t neglect by his children; at this age, decline was inevitable, appetite lost, illness frequent—life itself was a burden.

Qin Ye sighed inwardly—not because he felt a deep kinship, but thinking about how people seek immortality out of fear of death, especially as the end draws near.

Day by day, one grows weaker and older, while vibrant young life flourishes nearby.

A powerful jealousy, the guilt of knowing it is unjust, and the dread of death, all weigh heavily.

It is not a pleasant feeling.

Lost in thought, Qin Ye caught the old man's raised hand, “Second Uncle…”

“Big brother, big brother…” the old man wept, calling out feebly like a child seeking comfort.

Qin Ye did not argue, but gently patted the old man’s back.

Watching this, the Qin family fell silent. Some wiped their eyes, and soon, everyone seemed overcome with emotion, a chorus of tears.

How genuine it was, only they knew.

Qin Ye stayed with the old man all afternoon. The elder rambled about childhood, sometimes incoherent, often repeating topics again and again.

Qin Ye showed no impatience, responding patiently until the old man, exhausted, drifted into sleep.

“Third brother…” the plump woman finally spoke.

Qin Ye raised a hand to stop her, softly, “Don’t trouble Second Uncle anymore.”

She fell silent, then nodded heavily.

But she had no authority; too many brothers wished to use their father for their own gain, her words held no weight.

With Qin Ye’s backing, however, things changed.

Qin Ye knew what they wanted. After the banquet, he left behind those with influence—Eldest Qin only remained because of his seniority.

Qin Ye wasted no words, tossing all the evidence he possessed before them, bluntly offering two choices.

First, keep what they’d taken and behave themselves—forget the past.

Second, Qin Ye would righteously sever ties, sending all his dear nephews to prison, their tears behind iron bars.

What kind of choice was this? There was only one real option.

Eldest Qin opened his mouth, but Qin Ye’s glare silenced him.

His son had committed the least offenses, being the least capable, so he kept quiet—certainly not out of fear of Third Qin.

With the eldest silent, the others followed suit, each promising compliance like submissive wives.

They expected Qin Ye would destroy the evidence afterward.

But he didn’t; he had his assistant collect it all.

“But Third Brother, we’ve all promised—why keep these things?”

“Stupid. Obviously, so you don’t make trouble after promising. If you do, I’ll be in a foul mood. When I’m in a foul mood, I go mad. And when I go mad, who knows what I’ll do? Don’t push me!”

As he spoke, Qin Ye began to twitch and contort, his expression twisted and fierce.

The Qin family: … Help!

Third Qin really has lost his mind!!!

People treat a madman very differently from a sane one.

After this, the Qin family became thoroughly well-behaved.

Qin Ye nodded—this was as it should be.

If the protagonists trouble him, fine. But these relatives, too? Did they think they were heroes?

Qin Ye was busy; he had neither time nor interest for high-society family dramas.

Better to make more money and invest it in research.

After resolving these trivialities, Qin Ye became even busier, barely touching the ground.

Despite his workload, during leisure, he always had a book in hand.

As others would say, reading wasn’t work for Qin Ye—it was rest.

What a notion, reading as rest.

While Qin Ye worked tirelessly for his passion at home, Qin Yue, left to her own devices abroad, spent three full years in East Africa.

During holidays back home, Qin Ye would always put aside his work, bring Aunt Zhang, sometimes even Qin Yue’s friends, and fly to East Africa to spend the festivities with her.

So Qin Yue never really felt homesick.

Three years later, Qin Yue’s mentor, aged and injured in a hyena attack, was about to retire.

Their team, having tracked and observed a lion pride for years and invested all their emotions, had to bid farewell.

What would come next, none of them knew. They were all a little lost, but for now, they cherished the time together, setting aside their uncertainty to savor these moments of reunion.