Chapter 58

"Dad, I’ve already dispatched someone to take care of this video right away. Qin You’s probably aware of it by now. Don’t worry—this won’t leak."

As Qin Hua spoke, Qin Hengzhong remained silent.

He stared at the video playing on the tablet in front of him, his face dark.

In the footage, Qin You and the faceless man were undeniably intimate—a fact that couldn’t be disputed no matter what.

Seeing this, Qin Hua shared a look with Qin Jingda standing nearby.

Qin Jingda then spoke up, "Elder Brother, the video itself isn’t the problem. The issue is, if people in the company find out Qin You is involved with a man, wouldn’t that—"

Qin Hengzhong snapped sharply, "Enough!"

Qin Jingda flinched, lowering his head and taking a step back, though his eyes flashed with smug triumph.

He understood his second brother perfectly.

Such a reaction meant the video had already become a thorn, deeply embedded in Qin Hengzhong's heart.

Qin Jingda smirked to himself.

Qin You, you can't even hide such a small slip-up, yet you still dream of inheriting the Qin Group? Wishful thinking.

Ever since Qin You returned to the country, the Qin Group had been hit by one scandal after another.

Not just the Qi family—he was certain that An Dong's investigation was directly tied to Qin You.

This young man was no pushover, much more troublesome than they'd anticipated, which was why he had stayed inactive all this time.

But who knew luck would land in his lap?

Even doing nothing could bring such a golden opportunity.

The heir apparent likes men?

This was something Qin Hengzhong would never accept, no matter what.

"Dad, don’t overthink it," Qin Hua interjected. "It might just be a misunderstanding."

Qin Hengzhong's expression softened slightly, but his tone remained displeased. "What misunderstanding? He grew up abroad and came back with these ridiculous vices!"

Qin Hua said, "Qin You is still young, at an age where he only cares about partying—"

"Young?" Qin Hengzhong scoffed. "He's twenty-six. His father already had him at that age, yet here he is, still causing drama!"

From his tone, Qin Hua could tell he planned to go easy on this.

But the less you could push back, the better. "Dad, then what do you plan to do?"

Qin Hengzhong stood up from the sofa. "He needs to get married."

Behind him, Qin Hua’s brow furrowed.

Make Qin You settle down?

If a suitable marriage alliance was found, Qin You's position in the old man’s eyes would only grow stronger.

Did this plan backfire?

Qin Jingda added, "Elder Brother, I think Qin You is very stubborn. He’s unlikely to fall in line quietly, right?"

Qin Hua hesitated and also said, "Yes, Dad. Let’s not strain family relations over such a small matter. Why not call him over first and hear his side?"

Hearing this, Qin Hengzhong's expression darkened.

Indeed.

Given Qin You's personality, he probably wouldn’t back down so easily. Pushing him would only make him dig in deeper.

The top priority now was to reel Qin You in first.

As long as Qin You was willing to compromise, the rest could wait.

After pacing for a while, Qin Hengzhong turned to the two of them and said, "You’re dismissed."

Qin Hua and Qin Jingda could only obey and leave.

As they walked toward the door, Qin Jingda shot Qin Hua a frown.

He didn’t understand. Playing along was one thing, but Qin Hua’s last words had genuinely persuaded Qin Hengzhong to avoid clashing with Qin You.

But given their location in the Qin residence, he didn’t voice this question aloud.

Qin Hua smiled at him and simply said, "Fourth Uncle, after you."

Qin Jingda frowned again and stepped out.

Qin Hua chuckled to himself.

Though he hadn’t met Qin You many times, their few overt and covert confrontations had shown him that Qin You acted entirely on his own terms, showing no respect—not even for the patriarch—and would never yield easily.

Yet the patriarch held immense authority and was known for his unyielding personality. If his rare gentleness failed to soften Qin You, it would only lead to worse fallout.

By then, even if Qin You had second thoughts, it would be too late.

Thinking of this, Qin Hua turned his head and glanced back.

The steward had appeared and was now standing beside Qin Hengzhong.

"Sir."

Qin Hengzhong sat back on the sofa and thought for a beat. "Have Cui Ling come here in person—no, call him."

Some truths needed to be seen, not just heard.

The steward replied, "Understood."

Upon receiving the chairman’s summons, Cui Ling, though on edge, made haste to the estate.

As soon as he entered and saw Qin Hengzhong, before he could even speak, the other man got right to it.

"I invited you here today to ask you a few questions about the video."

So that’s what this was about...

Bracing himself, Cui Ling walked forward. "Chairman..."

Qin Hengzhong fixed his gaze on him: "How long have they been together?"

Cui Ling twisted his fingers nervously: "I... I don’t know..."

Qin Hengzhong glanced at him: "Did Qin You ask you to keep his secret?"

Cui Ling: "..."

You already figured it out—why bother asking?

Qin Hengzhong continued: "Relax. Nothing you say here will get back to Qin You."

Cui Ling’s face went rigid.

Couldn’t these two—grandfather and grandson—fight their own battles without dragging him into it?

If he talked, he’d offend the Prodigal Heir. If he didn’t, he’d offend the Chairman. Either way, he was screwed.

Qin Hengzhong waved his hand: "Sit."

Cui Ling sat down like a man walking to his execution.

Qin Hengzhong asked: "Who is that man?"

Cui Ling lowered his head again: "Chairman, I... I really don’t know..."

Qin Hengzhong looked at him, oddly pleased.

For Qin You to have Cui Ling so obedient in such a short time after returning to the country showed he had a way with underlings.

Cui Ling added with his head still bowed: "Young Master Qin ordered me to stay out of his personal business. Secretary Peng handles most of his personal stuff."

Qin Hengzhong didn’t fully believe such a polite brush-off.

As the top assistant, even if Cui Ling wasn’t responsible for personal arrangements, he couldn’t be completely clueless about Qin You’s private affairs.

But from Cui Ling’s use of "ordered" and "personal business," he picked up on something.

At least, Qin You was serious about this guy.

Keeping Cui Ling out of it wasn’t just to prevent excessive interference in his privacy—it was also—just like now—to keep it from reaching him through Cui Ling.

The thought made him furrow his brow.

Keeping it from me?

Had Qin You been planning to keep him in the dark?

Qin Hengzhong looked at Cui Ling again: "You said Qin You ordered you to stay out of his personal business—when was this?"

This, at least, Cui Ling could answer: "It was after Young Master Qin clashed with Manager Qi at the company, the same day he left for Zeshui Bay."

That day?

Qin You had just gotten back—who could he have met and gotten so attached to—and why?

Qin Hengzhong's expression suddenly turned grim as well.

Among the friends Qin You had made after coming back, he only knew one.

And on that very day, this friend had been checked into the same hospital as Qin You.

He had always assumed they simply clicked instantly.

That’s why he never interfered with Qin You’s social circle. Even when Shan Yun Winery noticed their deep connection, he didn’t dwell on it.

So that’s how it was.

Qin Hengzhong gripped the armrest, his voice edged with anger: "Is it Yan Tingshen?"

Cui Ling also sensed the shift in his demeanor. Hearing that name, his stomach dropped, and his response slowed.

"I..."

Qin Hengzhong had already figured it out from Cui Ling’s odd hesitation.

It was Yan Tingshen.

At the thought of this man, Qin Hengzhong cooled down instead, but he only grew more determined.

He had to split them up immediately.

If Qin You was merely indulging in a passing fling, he might have taken a more gradual approach. But falling for a man? That was out of the question.

From the video, they were head over heels.

If he allowed this relationship to continue, it would only become harder to undo.

Besides, the fact that Qin You had kept this from him for so long only proved how much this meant to him.

He couldn’t let Qin You keep running wild like this.

While it was still early, before it was too late, he had to split them up!

Qin Hengzhong turned to the butler: "Get Zeshui Bay on the line."

The butler replied, "Right away."

But when the call connected, Qin You wasn’t home.

Hearing this, Qin Hengzhong’s expression remained unchanged: "Where is he?"

"He didn’t say where, Mr. Qin."

Seeing Qin Hengzhong’s expression, the butler hurriedly hung up and tried Qin You’s private number.

Cui Ling had already stood up.

Standing to the side, he watched Qin Hengzhong’s back, feeling a weight pressing down on him.

So they’d found out...

What was coming next? He didn’t even want to think about it...

Qin Hengzhong suddenly turned to him: "Xiao Cui."

Cui Ling instinctively straightened up: "Mr. Chairman?"

Qin Hengzhong said, "Don't breathe a word about today to Qin You."

Cui Ling clenched his fists but nodded anyway: "I understand..."

Qin Hengzhong looked away.

Cui Ling pocketed his phone, feeling the ominous calm around him.

Young Master Qin...

You'll have to fend for yourself now...

—

Cang Manor.

The living room.

The screaming system drowned out Pei Sheng's last syllable, reverberating through Qin You's mind.

"Tingshen?"

"Yan Tingshen?"

"That's the protagonist's name!!!"

Qin You went stock-still.

A choking silence spread.

Pei Sheng, having just spoken and about to step forward, stopped when he saw Qin You suddenly halt.

Qin You was staring at Yan Tingshen.

The screaming system suddenly meant nothing.

Even without hearing Pei Sheng's words, without hearing the name uttered by Pei Sheng himself, the system's repetition jolted him back to awareness.

Tingshen?

These two words clawed back a shred of sense from Qin You's hazy, fevered mind.

But just enough to make him blurt out involuntarily.

"You're Yan Tingshen?"

His already hoarse voice spoke these words, so softly they could've been imagined.

The screaming system didn't hear it.

Pei Sheng, shut out, didn't hear it either.

But Yan Tingshen—whose eyes locked with Qin You's, whose breath shared his air, standing intimately close—heard it crystal-clear.

Only five words.

Upon hearing these words, Yan Tingshen’s gaze, piercingly cold yet burning with intensity, locked onto Qin You's eyes, his breathing growing increasingly ragged.

A fury unlike anything he'd felt before churned in his chest, which he struggled to suppress. Yet his hands, attempting to push Qin You away, trembled uncontrollably in a chill he couldn't explain.

He no longer needed to ask.

Every unanswered question, every mystery he had longed to unravel—now had its answer.

Just those five words explained everything.

He didn’t remember that snowy night because Qin You had mistaken him for someone else.

He hadn’t been the rescuer.

The person Qin You had held dear all these years, the one he wanted to repay—wasn’t him.

The one Qin You wanted to help wasn’t him.

The one Qin You liked wasn’t him.

The one Qin You had been searching for, from beginning to end—was never him.

"Let go of me..." He closed his eyes briefly, his lips pressed into a tight line, but his own heavy, uneven breaths undercut his attempt to sound calm. "I said let go!"

Qin You’s grip on his shoulders tightened slightly as he noticed Yan Tingshen’s averted face—maybe it was just his imagination, but he thought he saw eyes looking suspiciously red when they shut.

"I—"

"Qin You, step aside." Pei Sheng approached, cutting him off.

Qin You’s fingers flexed slightly on Yan Tingshen’s shoulder, sensing something was wrong. He parted his lips to speak, but the heat still coursing through him muddled his thinking.

And then, there was Yan Tingshen’s reaction.

The person in his arms wasn’t the mission target.

All this time, the person he'd been after wasn’t "A Sheng"—it was Yan Tingshen.

Everything had been wrong.

"Oh my god!!!"

The system was still freaking out, unable to accept reality. "Boss, we're screwed! You mistook the protagonist for the target! Our mission is totally tanked! Aaaah!"

Suddenly.

A phone suddenly rang.

Qin You threw one last look at Yan Tingshen before rising from the couch. Without a word, he fished out the phone from the pocket of the coat that Yan Tingshen was wearing.

It was a call from the Qin residence.

Pei Sheng, noticing the wounds on Qin You’s hands from his movements, finally understood his mistake. He opened his mouth, then changed tack. "That's a lot of blood. Let me patch you up?"

Yan Tingshen slowly stood as well.

Still wearing Qin You’s coat, he glanced at Qin You’s injured hand before their eyes met—

Qin You and Yan Tingshen locked eyes, then simultaneously looked away a moment later: "Not necessary."

Pei Sheng said, "But—"

"Let him go."

Pei Sheng went rigid.

He gaped at Yan Tingshen, unable to believe these words had come from him: "Tingshen..."

Yan Tingshen turned aside, his hand hanging at his side unconsciously clenching tightly.

He didn’t look at Qin You again, his tone returning to its initial cold and stern demeanor: "Qin-zong, do as you please."

Qin You paused once more.

He slipped the ringing phone back into his pocket and didn’t glance at him either: "Very well."

Pei Sheng frowned, too preoccupied to press further, hurrying after Qin You: "Qin-xiaozong, we need to dress that wound first!"

The sound of footsteps gradually faded away.

Yan Tingshen finally turned his head, watching the two figures ahead, observing Qin You leave without a backward glance. His jaw was set rigidly, and after a moment, he let out a quiet, humorless laugh.

He knew Pei Sheng wouldn’t ignore Qin You’s injury.

He also knew Qin You was merciless by nature—toward those who didn’t matter, he never showed any mercy.

This was how it should be.

The ill-fated relationship should return to its rightful course.

But Pei Sheng, who followed Qin You, was at a loss.

He quickened his pace to cut Qin You off, then glanced back at Yan Tingshen: "Tingshen, you..."

Earlier, seeing the blood on the sofa and Tingshen’s shirt stained with blood, he had assumed Qin You had hurt someone during their argument.

Now it seemed their conflict was much worse than he'd imagined—not just the injury on Qin You’s hand, but also the rift in their relationship.

Yan Tingshen only watched Qin You, who remained as impassive as ever.

He had already made his decision, yet the stinging pain in his palm and the words he'd held back finally surfaced for the third time.

"Qin You, all this time, have you truly—"

Mid-sentence, he caught himself, stopping short, embarrassed.

Pei Sheng looked at Qin You.

Qin You, with his back to Yan Tingshen, slowly clenched his fingers.

The room was silent as a tomb.

Yan Tingshen held his breath, waiting for Qin You’s final answer.

But after an agonizing wait, he saw Qin You walk away, leaving behind only three words.

He said, "I’m sorry..."