Chapter 37

Chapter 37

What’s going on with the Qins today?

The moment he heard the name, Qi Yan got a splitting headache.

What trouble has Qin You gotten into this time?

Come on, with Old Man Qin backing him inside the Qin family and Yan Tingshen shielding him outside, why do I always get dragged into his mess?

"Boss Yan, do you know—"

I’m also very busy.

Before he could finish that sentence, he heard Yan Tingshen’s next instruction through the receiver.

"How’s the investigation into Yuanweimeng going?"

"..." Qi Yan replied weakly, "They’ve scrubbed everything clean—most traces are erased. It’s like pulling teeth getting leads. The only one left is the Qi family. Aside from Qi Xianghe, who’s already been arrested, Qi Hailiang might know something useful. I’ll try. Qi Xinwei, on the other hand, has kept himself completely clean. Qin Yi probably wasn’t involved either."

For illegal operations like these, given the Qin family’s resources, they wouldn’t need to take such risks. Though it involves power-for-favors deals, using Qi Xianghe’s own name so blatantly was next-level stupid.

Unsurprisingly, the Qi father and son were short-sighted—likely lured by money into becoming someone else’s fall guys.

The puppet master behind them was almost certainly from the Qin family, with malicious intent. Unfortunately, they must have prepared for exposure, leaving no trace behind.

"Speaking of Qin Yi, she—"

Yan Tingshen cut him off. "Qin Andong."

"..." Qi Yan bit back his comment and replied, "I was just about to bring him up. There’s progress on his case. Aside from tax issues, he’s been sneakily registering shell companies under the name of a distant relative on his wife’s side. Their main business overlaps heavily with some of the lower-tier Qin holdings, skimming profits over the past two years and causing their bottom lines to tank."

Since these were minor subsidiaries within the sheer size of the Qin empire and the issues emerged gradually, they hadn’t drawn much attention from headquarters—exactly as Qin Andong intended.

Exploiting his position in the Qin family, he targeted a few unlucky companies for personal gain. If it flies under the radar, it’s free game.

Qi Yan couldn’t help but remark, "The deeper I look, the uglier the Qin family’s situation seems."

If not for Tingshen’s insistence on a thorough investigation, Qin Andong’s scheme might have gone unnoticed entirely.

Even Yuanweimeng Finance only came to light because Qin You got played and accidentally uncovered it.

Such cases are never isolated.

Qin Andong, the Qi family, and their shadowy backers—just how many leeches are bleeding the company dry, funneling wealth into their own pockets?

This kind of systematic plundering harms the entire group’s interests. Combined with the sudden collapse of the Qin family head, the signs point to a nosedive for the Qin empire.

Yan Tingshen asked, "How much evidence have you gathered?"

"Enough."

Qi Yan said, "I’ll send it to you shortly. As for Qin You... that’s your call to make."

Investigating the Qin family privately—even if it smoked out a rat—was still an investigation.

Unlike Tingshen, Qi Yan would be seen as a snitch in Qin You’s eyes, walking on eggshells. One misstep and I’m dead meat.

Yan Tingshen’s eyes narrowed briefly. "Got it."

"I’ll dig deeper into the Qis," Qi Yan said. "And there's also your own matter. That guy Li Jianhang who ran you over—I mentioned before that his wife fled overseas with their kid. Before the accident, a sum of money was deposited into her account. I've been investigating it recently, but they were slick—covered their tracks clean. The only trace left still ties back to the Yans."

Yan Tingshen replied, "Hn."

"Swamped today, so I can't discuss it with you in detail in person."

At this point, Qi Yan’s tone hesitated slightly. "Anyway, keep your guard up around your family."

What he really wanted to say was to watch out for Yan Lihui.

But no matter what, that was Yan Tingshen’s biological father. He couldn’t just come out and say it and could only hint at it.

With that, Qi Yan sighed.

No wonder Tingshen had him chasing leads 24/7.

These two—the messes in their respective families—were each worse than the last.

Yan Tingshen said, "Hn."

Qi Yan: "..."

He was fed up!

He worked himself to the bone for Yan Tingshen, doing so much, yet Yan Tingshen was always tight-lipped around him.

But he remembered—in front of Qin You, Yan Tingshen wasn’t like this at all. He’d actually laugh, joke around—hell, he’d talk a mile a minute!

"I—"

"If you're interested in the Landong plot, touch base with Zhang Ming."

Qi Yan immediately brightened, grinning like a suck-up into the phone. "Ah, no problem, no problem! You’re busy—got it, got it. Qin You—no, I mean, something happened with Qin Group today, right? On it!"

What are friends for?

Small favors? That’s just how it is.

The call ended.

Yan Tingshen opened the email Qi Yan had sent, reviewed the contents, and stood up from his desk.

Pei Sheng finally spoke up. "So, Qin Andong’s matter—resolved?"

Yan Tingshen said, "Hn."

Pei Sheng asked, "Not telling Qin You?"

Yan Tingshen replied, "Later."

Pei Sheng guessed he’d talk to Qin You face-to-face.

With how close Tingshen and Qin You were, Qin You wouldn’t hold it against him. Besides, Tingshen wasn’t the sneaky type.

Once he’d stepped in for Qin You—Qin Andong, the Qis—

All of it, Tingshen had probably clued Qin You in already.

Pei Sheng turned the corner before realizing it led back to the office.

He hesitated before blurting out, “Boss Yan, aren’t you going to the hospital today?”

In front of him, Yan Tingshen's back remained turned, his posture rigid.

“Hmm.”

—

“It flickered! It flickered again!”

The system, glued to the favorability panel, perked up again. “Did you catch that, Host? It flickered again!”

Shortly after the host sent that message, the favorability rating took a quick dip then bounced right back. Since then, the system had been monitoring it like a hawk.

Unfortunately, this time was the same—it flickered once before returning to its original value. Still thirty-four percent.

Qin You raised an eyebrow at the system display.

The tactic worked quicker than he'd anticipated.

Fast reaction, but barely a blip on the radar.

The system wasn't ready to throw in the towel and waited another hour before finally closing the page in disappointment. “Host, it didn’t drop.”

Qin You set down the tablet in his hand.

Usually around now, he would be at the hospital with the target. But today, having extended his work hours, he was at loose ends.

A glance at the digital clock—3:26—and his fingers drummed the armrest before he picked up his phone and called the hospital.

The call was quickly answered.

“This is Qin You,” he said. “Has the patient in Bed 9 arrived?”

“Mr. Qin, one moment please, I’ll check immediately!”

Soon, a voice came through the receiver. “Mr. Qin, the patient in Bed 9 hasn’t arrived today. Would you like to leave a message? Should we call you back once the patient arrives?”

“No need,” Qin You replied.

Knowing how the target operated, if they were late, it clearly meant they were blowing it off completely.

He hung up and dialed the target directly.

This time, the phone rang for a few seconds before being answered.

“I’m in a meeting.”

Since when do you take calls in meetings?” Qin You chuckled instead. “Who do you think you're kidding?”

However chummy the target was with the protagonist off-hours, as an assistant in a corporate setting, they knew better than that.

That excuse meant just one thing—they were dodging him.

Yan Tingshen said, “I—”

"Enough," Qin You said. "Since you know I'm calling you out, stop being stubborn and get to the hospital right now."

Yan Tingshen replied, "I have things to handle. Skipping one day won’t hurt."

His daily hospital rehab visits had originally been Qin You’s idea, and since Qin You wasn’t there today, he saw no reason to bother.

Qin You asked, "You sure about that?"

Hearing the tone in his voice, Yan Tingshen hesitated slightly.

Qin You sighed. "Fine. Stay put then. I’ll swing by and see what ‘meeting’ you’re really in."

*I don’t mind carrying you out of your office in front of everyone.*

The threat still hung in the air, and Yan Tingshen frowned. "You—"

The call had already ended.

Nearby, everyone in the office glanced at Zhang Ming.

Zhang Ming sat quietly with his head down, pretending not to notice anything.

Hell no. With Yan Tingshen just hung up on, he wasn’t stepping into that mess. He wasn’t suicidal.

Pei Sheng’s gaze flicked to Yan Tingshen.

Only Qin You could get him to pick up mid-meeting—no one else came close.

Yan Tingshen’s attitude toward the call confirmed it.

Pei Sheng lowered his gaze and closed the cap of his pen. When he looked up again, he asked, "Shall we continue, President Yan?"

Yan Tingshen replied calmly, "Meeting adjourned."

No one dared to say a word. They stood and slipped out quietly.

Pei Sheng lingered behind.

Before stepping out, he noticed Yan Tingshen still holding his phone. His fingers clenched around the door handle.

Maybe he was imagining things.

Something had gone down between Qin You and Tingshen two days ago. Since their meeting yesterday, Tingshen’s attitude toward Qin You seemed to have shifted.

Like some barrier had been lifted, it felt more natural now. More intimate, even.

Qin You had bulldozed through Yan Tingshen’s boundaries—a disrupted meeting was the least of it.

Yan Tingshen had caved way faster than he’d expected.

The real question was—

Tingshen, how much longer can you keep lying to yourself?

Pei Sheng stole a final glance at Yan Tingshen’s indifferent profile before shutting the door quietly.

"Click."

Yan Tingshen paid no attention to the dispersing crowd at his desk, just opened the chat interface to send Qin You a message.

.: I’ll come by after the meeting.

Then he added another.

.: You don’t need to come over.

A reply appeared immediately.

Qin: Too late.

Qin: Wait for me in the office.

Yan Tingshen scanned outside the door, his frown deepening.

Just then, his phone screen lit up—Qi Yan was calling.

When he answered, Qi Yan got right to it: "Mr. Yan, I checked. Nothing happened at Qin today. Qin You just hired a new secretary."

Emphasizing the point, Qi Yan added, "I checked into it too. The new secretary’s name is Li Chengming—a man, neither talented nor good-looking. Nothing to worry about."

Yan Tingshen's eyes darkened.

*Nothing happened at all?*

Qi Yan continued, "No clue why Qin You would pick someone like—"

Again, cut off mid-sentence.

Hung up on him again.

Qi Yan seethed but restrained himself.

Remembering the land deal, he dropped it.

On the other end.

Yan Tingshen returned to the chat window.

.: Didn’t you have company matters to handle today?

Qin: I finished.

Seeing Qin You was determined, Yan Tingshen gave in.

.: I’ll wait for you in the parking lot.

When he saw this message, Qin You couldn’t help laughing.

Wait for him in the parking lot?

That afraid of getting caught?

The meeting had already ended. Who could tell if it was genuine or not—who was there to fear?

But waiting half an hour in the parking lot? No need.

If the target doesn’t want to get caught, he can skip the trip upstairs.

Qin: Forget it.

Qin: Same drill—I’ll text you when I get there.

A reply came quickly.

.: Okay.

Qin You put his phone away.

The system piped up, confused again: "Host, didn’t you say you wouldn’t accompany the target to the hospital today?"

Qin You replied, "Things change."

If he wasn’t there, the target would bail on the hospital—too risky.

Besides, the target only had a week left to fully recover, while the task’s deadline was longer. No need to rush the favorability grind.

The system still didn’t understand: "But if you go now and the favorability drops, won’t your plan be ruined again?"

Qin You countered, "What matters more—favorability or his health?"

The system faltered. "Uh… his health?"

Well, yeah, his health mattered.

But it recalled the doctor saying that the target’s injury was mostly healed and wouldn’t affect daily life—it hadn’t been serious to begin with.

Besides, the target swore he’d go to the hospital himself after the meeting. There was no need for the host to make this trip.

So why was the host still fretting?

Wasn’t the whole point to tank favorability?

The system bit back the question.

The host already called it an idiot—no need to sound even dumber…

The system clammed up.

Soon, the car pulled into Junmin’s underground garage.

The moment Qin You stepped out, he saw Yan Tingshen approaching from a familiar direction.

Yan Tingshen halted mid-step when he saw Qin You. At the car door, he shot Qin You a look. "I didn’t lie to you."

"Sure, sure, you ‘weren’t lying’—just stuck in a meeting," Qin You said sarcastically.

He raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? This meeting was life-or-death?"

Yan Tingshen didn’t answer, moving to slide into the car.

Qin You snagged his arm, yanking him back. "I asked you a question."

Yan Tingshen averted his gaze: "What's the point of talking about this now?"

Qin You turned his face to catch his eye: "The point? Have you forgotten what you promised me before?"

Yan Tingshen pulled against his grip: "Let go of me."

Qin You complied, loosening his hold but still lightly grasping his arm: "You promised yourself—going to the hospital every day for rehab. Why didn’t you go today? Going back on your promise now?"

Suddenly, Yan Tingshen looked up, his tone slightly cold: "And what about you? 'Every afternoon at 2:30, without fail'—wasn’t that your own promise?"

The words lingered between them.

Silence settled between them.

Qin You glanced at him, his tone softening unconsciously: "Are you angry with me?"

Yan Tingshen pursed his lips: "No."

After a pause, he turned away again, adding as he got into the car, "What I mean is, if you can break your word, why can't I just do the same?"

Qin You looked at Yan Tingshen, the words he had prepared earlier now lost. In the end, he could only say helplessly, "You’re right. You can. My bad."

Once back in the car, he glanced at the man beside him: "How old are you, acting like a kid?"

Yan Tingshen also turned his gaze, meeting the hint of a smile playing on Qin You’s lips. After a pause, he looked out the window without another word.