After Qin Fei brought back so many valuables, Old Master Qin's face was wreathed in smiles.
"Xiao Fei, you've done exceptionally well. Once the Qin family's crisis is resolved, I will pass the family headship to you," Old Master Qin said.
Upon hearing this, the Qin family members were all astonished.
Qin Fei was overjoyed and quickly replied, "Thank you, Grandfather! Rest assured, once I inherit the position, I will lead the family to an even more glorious future."
"Hahaha, good, very good!" Old Master Qin laughed heartily.
"Xiao Fei, this time you've truly rendered a great service. The Qin family's crisis is finally about to be resolved."
"I've always said that Xiao Fei is the only rightful heir to the Qin family. Among all of us, he is the most suitable."
"I fully support Xiao Fei inheriting the family headship."
...
For a moment, everyone began to flatter him.
Qin Fei, brimming with pride, humbly smiled and said, "This achievement belongs to all members of the Qin family. In the future, the Qin family will undoubtedly rise to become one of the top aristocratic families."
"Well said!" Old Master Qin's eyes shone with confidence.
Just as the Qin family was envisioning a bright future, the secretary rushed in anxiously: "Chairman, Chairman Liu of Hongyun Group is here."
"Chairman Liu came in person?" Old Master Qin was shocked.
Hongyun Group was the Qin family's largest business partner. In fact, the reason the Qin family had managed to hold on thus far was largely due to their collaboration with this company.
Before the secretary could answer, several figures walked in, led by none other than Chairman Liu of Hongyun Group.
Old Master Qin put on an ingratiating smile and stepped forward eagerly, extending both hands: "Chairman Liu's esteemed presence brings immense honor to our humble home. Welcome, welcome!"
Chairman Liu acted as though he hadn't seen Old Master Qin's outstretched hands and wore a mocking smile. "If Chairman Qin knew the purpose of my visit, I doubt you'd be so welcoming."
Old Master Qin's brow furrowed imperceptibly, but he forced a smile and said, "Chairman Liu, you jest. You are our most important business partner—how could we not welcome you?"
*Thud!*
Chairman Liu casually took the seat at the head of the table and tossed a document folder onto it. "This is the contract termination agreement between Hongyun Group and the Qin family. Take a look, Chairman Qin. If there are no issues, sign it promptly."
"What?"
The Qin family members were all stunned.
Hongyun Group was their largest partner. If the collaboration ended, it would be a devastating blow to the already struggling Qin family.
Old Master Qin was even more shocked. "Chairman Liu, hasn't our cooperation always been smooth? Why terminate it so abruptly? If you're dissatisfied with the terms, we can revise them and offer more concessions."
"If I've come in person, do you really think there's any room for negotiation?" Chairman Liu sneered.
Qin Fei understood the implication—Chairman Liu was here solely to terminate the contract, leaving the Qin family no chance to salvage the situation. Furious, he snapped, "Chairman Liu, even if you're terminating the contract, shouldn't you at least give us a reasonable explanation?"
"Kid, I'm talking to your grandfather here. Who the hell do you think you are, demanding an explanation from me?" Chairman Liu didn't spare Qin Fei a glance.
"You—what do you mean by that?" Qin Fei's face flushed red with anger.
"Shut up!" Old Master Qin barked. He had already realized that Chairman Liu had no intention of giving the Qin family any leeway today.
"The younger generation of the Qin family truly lacks manners. No wonder the family is declining," Chairman Liu said coldly.
Old Master Qin forced a smile. "Chairman Liu, my grandson is young and ignorant. Please don't take it to heart."
"Chairman Qin, as a longtime partner, let me give you a piece of advice: not everyone is someone you can afford to offend," Chairman Liu suddenly said.
Old Master Qin's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly asked, "Are you saying that the Qin family's recent troubles are because we've offended someone?"
Chairman Liu replied, "Don't ask me. I know nothing."
Seeing his reaction, Old Master Qin drew a sharp breath. He had suspected yesterday that the Qin family had provoked someone, and Chairman Liu's hint all but confirmed it.
"Please, Chairman Liu, as a personal favor—tell me, who has the Qin family offended?" Old Master Qin bowed slightly, his expression earnest.
Chairman Liu remained unmoved and sighed. "Old Qin, to be frank, just moments ago, someone contacted me and demanded I sever ties with the Qin family—or else Hongyun Group would face bankruptcy. At first, I didn't take it seriously. But as soon as the call ended, several of our partners unilaterally terminated their contracts with us."
Old Master Qin's face turned ashen.
Just moments ago, he had thought that Qin Fei's retrieval of the betrothal gifts from the Su family would resolve the crisis. But before they could even address the problem, an even greater disaster had struck.
"Thank you for telling me this, Chairman Liu," Old Master Qin said, cupping his hands in gratitude.
Shortly after Chairman Liu left, the few remaining partners all came to terminate their contracts.
Within just an hour, the Qin family lost every single one of their collaborators.
"Grandfather, who on earth have we offended? How could anyone wield such power? Even Hongyun Group was forced to cut ties with us," Qin Fei said despairingly.
Old Master Qin fell silent for a long moment before suddenly realizing something. His gaze snapped to Qin Fei.
*Slap!*
A crisp sound rang out as he struck Qin Fei across the face.
Qin Fei was bewildered. "Grandfather, why did you hit me?"
"Don't you understand yet? The day after we met Qin Xi's family at the Starlight Garden Hotel, our factories were shut down, and the banks demanded repayment.
"This morning, you seized the betrothal gifts the Su family had sent, and immediately afterward, all our partners came to terminate their contracts. Now, do you get it?"
Old Master Qin was livid.
Qin Fei froze.
He wasn't stupid—in fact, he was quite clever. He quickly grasped Old Master Qin's meaning.
His face turned deathly pale. "Grandfather… are you saying all of this is the Su family's doing?"
"Use your brain! The Su family took a liking to Qin Yi and sent extravagant betrothal gifts, only for you to snatch them all away. Did you really think the Su family would let us off the hook?" Old Master Qin roared in fury.
He placed all the blame squarely on Qin Fei, conveniently ignoring that Qin Fei had acted with his approval.
Qin Fei lowered his head, fists clenched tightly in resentment.
After a long silence, he finally looked up, his eyes bloodshot. "Grandfather, I know I was wrong. What should we do now?"
"Since this mess was caused by you, it's up to you to fix it. Go find Qin Yi and beg her to plead with the Su family on our behalf. Only if the Su family relents will the Qin family have any hope of survival," Old Master Qin said.