Chapter 26
Editor: Princess
Qin Huanxi sat with his eyes half-lowered, his mind gradually sinking into the melodious rhythm of the violin. It was only at times like this that he could really forget everything else. In this moment, the entire world seemed to contain nothing but the beautiful music from the violin. There was no passionate excitement, nor was there compassionate pity; there was only tranquility and peace.
Mo Shaoheng stood with one hand against his chest, the other holding a teacup. Through the floor-to-ceiling glass window, he looked down at Qin Huanxi, who was completely absorbed in his performance in the courtyard. The scene before him was delightful—a handsome young man playing the most beautiful melody with his soul, while a small child with tender hands cupping his innocent face listened attentively, his bright eyes reflecting the childlike innocence unique to children.
“Suddenly I feel that having Qin Huanxi as Xiao Yuan’s home tutor is really worth it. Listening to such violin music is really soothing.” Qi Fengyu walked up beside Mo Shaoheng, stretching his arms lazily. If he could hear such beautiful violin music every day, it would wash away all his fatigue.
“Hmph…” He Jingyi snorted lightly. “Shallow!”
Qi Fengyu unusually didn’t retort like usual, he just rolled his eyes. He had more important things to do now and couldn’t be bothered to argue with this perpetually prickly person. Besides, for some reason, whenever Qin Huanxi was present, he felt inexplicably uncomfortable about his usual conduct and behavior.
Perhaps this was Qin Huanxi’s unique presence. After all, he was an internationally renowned violin prodigy. Although their recent interactions had greatly altered his perception of the violin prodigy, showing stark differences from both public image and memory, Qin Huanxi still possessed qualities that others could only aspire to match.
He picked up the document folder from the table and handed it to Mo Shaoheng: “We’ve identified the people who attacked Su Yang and Guan Yi. That ‘Brother Shui’ is quite stubborn. Even after taking a bullet from Young Master Qin, apart from an initial shout, he remained silent during our questioning.”
When he received Mo Shaoheng’s message and rushed to the scene, his timing had been impeccable, because he arrived just in time to witness Qin Huanxi’s gunshot that was worthy of a marksman. In what had been a critical moment, Qin Huanxi had acted even faster than Mo Shaoheng, firing a shot that directly pierced Brother Shui’s gun-wielding arm.
Even now, when he recalled Qin Huanxi’s cold face, he still felt chills down his spine. He should have been an unworldly young master from a musical family; those slender hands were more suited to playing the most beautiful melodies. Cold weapons like guns seemed completely incongruous with those hands that belonged to an artist.
Qi Fengyu had initially thought it was just the pressure of the circumstances, that even an unworldly young master would know to fight back when his life was threatened. However he had underestimated this young master who always presented himself with elegance and dignity, because to face such a bloody scene and still step on that man’s bleeding arm underfoot mercilessly, perhaps none of them, these family scions, had ever really known this prodigy.
Qi Fengyu suddenly felt a chill down his back. If this was Qin Huanxi’s true character, then it was really terrifying. This person had deceived everyone who knew him, including the normally shrewd Old Master Qin, who kept the entire Qin family under his control.
Mo Shaoheng took the folder and briefly skimmed through the investigation report.
Qi Fengyu glanced sideways at the report and shrugged: “Su Wentian’s men seized his territory, injured several of his brothers, and even brought the police. The opposing gang is small. They lost both their goods and territory, and a dozen brothers were arrested, suffering heavy losses. While some of Su Wentian’s men were also arrested, it meant nothing to him.”
Qi Fengyu shrugged again. The goods were illicit anyway, and with such a commotion, escape was impossible. Brother Shui was seriously unfortunate, because he had been originally planning to smuggle goods quietly, when he happened to meet Su Wentian’s men. Then it was unclear how their negotiations went, because they ended up fighting.
Mo Shaoheng threw the documents back on the table, frowning. “Fu Zecheng also got involved?”
Qi Fengyu laughed lightly: “They say even a cornered dog will leap over a wall. Originally, Brother Shui and Su Wentian had no grudge. After all, he just has a small gang that Su Wentian wouldn’t even take seriously. But being inexplicably harmed so badly by his men, Brother Shui planned this kidnapping. As for Fu Zecheng, he just wanted to cause trouble for Su Wentian, so he sent some men over. Actually, Fu Zecheng knew clearly that Brother Shui and his few men couldn’t touch Su Wentian. He was purely bored and looking for entertainment. However…”
Qi Fengyu’s expression became somewhat grave as he continued: “Brother Shui harbored deep resentment toward Su Wentian. He’s a ruthless man, and this time the target wasn’t us. Plus… Young Master Qin acted…. so we can’t detain these people for too long. If it results in deaths, it would be difficult for Young Master Qin to extricate himself from this matter. Moreover, Brother Shui still has some men outside. They now know he’s in our hands. If it were just our men who acted, it wouldn’t matter, but if things get out of hand, it might affect Young Master Qin.”
Qi Fengyu was actually considering Qin Huanxi’s position. This incident had given him a new understanding of Qin Huanxi, and now it seemed Mo Shaoheng’s attitude toward Qin Huanxi was also unusual. Since Qin Huanxi didn’t want others to know his hidden side, then it clearly meant he wanted to continue playing the role of the Qin family’s genius violin performer. And whatever the reason, he chose to respect Qin Huanxi’s decision and couldn’t let the Qin family know this side of him for now.
“You released them?” Mo Shaoheng frowned.
Qi Fengyu felt a headache coming on: “We can’t keep detaining them indefinitely, can we? On what grounds? Besides, those thugs are all Fu Zecheng’s men. That psychopath likes to act unpredictably. If he learns things he shouldn’t know and suddenly takes an interest, demanding their return with a big fuss, wouldn’t that make things worse? Their target wasn’t us anyway, and we can’t hand them over to the police. Once the police get involved, Young Master Qin’s shooting would also become known. If we let them go, they won’t dare report to the police either, since Brother Shui himself only escaped from the police narrowly.”
“Then what are you worried about? Qin Huanxi crippled one of his arms. Are you worried he’ll seek revenge against Qin Huanxi?” He Jingyi suddenly spoke up, sneering, “Do you think that person is a match for Qin Huanxi? Don’t underestimate this seemingly genteel young master. When he gets ruthless, he’s no less merciless than any of us.”
“He’s obviously no match for Young Master Qin in a direct confrontation, but what about underhanded tactics? An open attack is easy to dodge, but hidden arrows are hard to guard against. Understand?” Qi Fengyu snorted coldly.
“You seem quite concerned about him. Perhaps he doesn’t need it at all, and your worry is just unnecessary.” He Jingyi mocked.
Qi Fengyu immediately gritted his teeth, but after a moment he relaxed his tense expression and said calmly: “Then what do you suggest we do with those people?”
He Jingyi picked his teacup up leisurely, took a sip, and replied lazily: “Street matters aren’t my concern. That’s your business.”
Qi Fengyu wanted nothing more than to swallow He Jingyi whole. Just as he was about to retort, Mo Shaoheng spoke coldly.
“Starting tomorrow, have someone watch Brother Shui. Assign two more people to follow Huanxi, but don’t alert the Qin family.”
Qi Fengyu steadied his breath and nodded: “I understand…”
But after saying this, he looked at Mo Shaoheng again, seeming hesitant. Then after a long pause, he finally asked uncertainly: “Shaoheng, should we… investigate Qin Huanxi? I feel he’s very different from what rumors portray. I know he bears no ill will toward Young Master Yuan or us, but… one must still be cautious. This Qin Huanxi is hiding too much. He has essentially deceived everyone. I think even Old Master Qin probably doesn’t know about his skills.”
After saying this, he looked at Mo Shaoheng nervously. Mo Shaoheng’s attitude toward Qin Huanxi made him hesitant to judge or gauge the atmosphere between the two, but the safety of Mo Shaoheng and Mo Siyuan was at stake. He wasn’t afraid of Qin Huanxi intentionally causing harm, but worried about being manipulated by others.
For the first time, he doubted his judgment of character. He felt that Qin Huanxi likely had no ulterior motives or ill intentions, but considering how deeply Qin Huanxi had hidden his true nature, had it not been for this sudden incident, he might have forever regarded him as a weak, harmless young master who was in need of protection.
Mo Shaoheng sat on the sofa silently, stared at him fixedly, then said flatly: “There’s no need. I have it under control.”
Sure enough!
Qi Fengyu seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Actually, he couldn’t explain why, but he felt conflicted. On one hand, he was worried about Qin Huanxi’s hidden depths; on the other, Qin Huanxi gave him an inexplicable good feeling, and he didn’t want to interpret Qin Huanxi’s thoughts with malice.
Just at this moment, Mo Siyuan’s cheerful laughter came from outside the living room, followed by a small figure running in with pattering steps, diving straight into Mo Shaoheng’s arms. His childish voice rang out: “Daddy, Sister Shanshan says the health porridge is ready. We can go downstairs to eat.”
After his announcement, the little one turned to Qi Fengyu and He Jingyi: “Uncle Fengyu, Uncle Jingyi, you should come downstairs to eat too.”
“Oh my, my Xiao Yuan is so thoughtful.” Qi Fengyu stepped forward and picked Mo Siyuan up. “Come, let Uncle Fengyu give you kisses, hugs, and lift you high.”
Qin Huanxi smiled lightly. This Qi Fengyu’s personality sometimes left him speechless. He walked past Qi Fengyu, who was running around the hall with Mo Siyuan, making the child laugh heartily, and approached Mo Shaoheng: “Have you finished discussing? Did we disturb you? Shanshan had the kitchen prepare health porridge, which is ready now. Xiao Yuan was so eager to come call you.”
“Nothing important.” Seeing Qin Huanxi, Mo Shaoheng suddenly remembered Qi Fengyu’s words. His fist clenched slightly. There were some things he wanted to do himself, and some people he wanted to understand personally. Only he could really understand.
Qin Huanxi glanced at the document folder tossed on the table and asked, seemingly casually: “Have the identities of those people been discovered?”
Mo Shaoheng looked at him, a hint of a smile in his eyes as he explained the findings patiently.
“I’m surprised Fu Zecheng was involved in this.” Qin Huanxi said thoughtfully, one arm crossed over his chest, the other hand’s index finger scratching his smooth chin absently.
He had thought about it carefully afterward. If Su Wentian had really offended some powerful figure, the plan wouldn’t have been so poorly conceived, brazenly kidnapping someone in public. Clearly, this Brother Shui had acted rashly. After all, Su Yang was Su Wentian’s only daughter, and besides Guan Yi, she usually had others following to protect her.
Presumably Brother Shui had been following Su Yang for some time but couldn’t find an opportunity to strike. That day, Su Yang had quarreled fiercely with Su Wentian, and the young lady’s stubborn temperament had led her to run away from home, which gave Brother Shui this chance. It was also Su Yang who inadvertently disrupted Brother Shui’s original plan, forcing him to kidnap her without adequate preparation, only to meet them, which prevented his success.
This meant Su Yang’s suspicion wasn’t entirely wrong. She had suspected Fu Yilei’s involvement. The two young ladies had been at odds since childhood, a fact which was known to all. Fu Yilei disliked her and wanted to create obstacles, but the one who actually intervened was Fu Zecheng, Fu Yilei’s father—still someone from the Fu family.
Qin Huanxi found it somewhat amusing: “Fu Zecheng’s behavior is even more troublesome than Su Wentian’s sometimes. He provokes without causing substantial damage, yet infuriates Su Wentian. If Su Wentian were to confront Fu Zecheng directly over this, it would seem like a waste of resources and might create opportunities for others. This is just like the case of the crane and the clam fighting while the fisherman benefits. It seems Su Wentian will have to swallow this bitter pill.”
Mo Shaoheng’s lips curved upward as he patted Qin Huanxi’s shoulder: “Still, be careful.”
“Careful of whom? Brother Shui whose arm I disabled?” Qin Huanxi smiled. “If Qi Fengyu wanted to release them, would Uncle Mo not have them watched closely before letting them go? What’s more with Uncle Mo’s men watching and more assigned to protect me and Xiao Yuan, I feel secure.”
Mo Shaoheng looked at him intently for a while, the grip of his hand tightening subconsciously, his smile growing wider.
“Let’s go downstairs. Otherwise, Shanshan and Su Yang will come up to fetch us.” Qin Huanxi said as he walked out, continuing to Mo Shaoheng who followed: “By the way, Uncle Mo, I need to return to school for classes next week.”
“I understand. I’ll arrange someone to pick up and drop off Xiao Yuan.” Mo Shaoheng replied. He knew that Qin Huanxi had originally wanted to return to school earlier but had disrupted his plans for Mo Siyuan’s sake. Without asking, he understood this person’s intentions. Qin Huanxi spending so much time with Mo Siyuan daily was simply to build a relationship with the child.
“If I have no afternoon classes or only two classes, I can still pick Xiao Yuan up after school.” Qin Huanxi said. He actually wanted to spend more days with Mo Siyuan, but there were matters he needed to handle personally. He couldn’t abandon the path he’d already planned due to emotional attachments, or it would only drag on longer. And Old Master Qin would also not allow him to remain so idle either.
After the group enjoyed the delicious health porridge together, Qin Huanxi naturally stayed overnight at the Mo residence again.
He suddenly realized that he had been spending nights away from home quite frequently lately and was becoming increasingly accustomed to it. Even the old master looked at him with reproachful eyes every day when he left, as if accusing him of forgetting his grandfather now that he had Mo Siyuan.
Qin Huanxi sighed helplessly. Actually, compared to staying at the Qin residence, he preferred staying here, where there were only Mo Shaoheng and Mo Siyuan whom he deeply trusted and appreciated, along with Mo Shanshan. After all, he wasn’t really Qin Huanxi.
In this world, the people closest to him, besides Mo Siyuan, were only Mo Shaoheng.
Compared to facing the Qin family, he felt more natural in Mo Shaoheng’s presence. Mo Shaoheng always gave him a feeling of unconditional trust.