TNSFC – Chapter 73

“Helpless? That’s just an excuse for your cowardice.”

Que Yining sneered, her face openly mocking.

Que Yining had wondered what kind of leverage or weakness was constraining Que Chuling. If it were evidence of a crime, it might truly be called helplessness. But this? What was this?

She had previously thought this Second Sister was someone intelligent, but now she seemed like a muddle-headed fool, far worse even than Que Linyang.

“Do you think you’re so deeply devoted, constantly giving for someone who doesn’t love you? How dare you mock the old me? Compared to you, my taste back then was much better.”

Although the original owner was also love-obsessed, going mad for a man who didn’t love her and ending up miserable, she was still better than someone who thought they were clear-headed but was actually deluded.

“Que Linyang was raised by my parents, yet he schemed to seize the family assets and harm me. You were raised by my parents, yet in your heart, my parents and our family are less important than a dead woman who didn’t even love you. Que Chuling, your self-assessment just now was spot on. I’ve never seen anyone so self-degrading.”

Que Yining was genuinely angered, not because of how foolish Que Chuling’s actions were, but because she felt it wasn’t worth it for that couple.

That couple was truly good and kind, completely unguarded towards the children they raised. Their educational philosophy was to give their children the greatest freedom. They believed that as long as the children didn’t break the law or discipline, they could grow however they wished. Good grades weren’t essential; living a happy life was most important.

But some people are just not good. Even in such a good family environment, their disgusting nature cannot be changed.

Que Chuling didn’t retort, nor did she show any anger at being exposed, merely remaining silent.

Perhaps she also knew her own cowardice, that many things were just excuses for avoidance.

“Have you met Jiao Shanyue’s younger brother?”

Que Yining had almost forgotten something due to her anger. She suddenly recalled the information Lin Zhen had previously investigated.

Que Chuling nodded: “Of course.”

“No, I mean, before Jiao Shanyue told you that, in the text message she sent you, did you know she had a younger brother?”

Que Yining questioned very carefully, her eyes fixed on Que Chuling.

“This…”

Que Chuling frowned unconsciously, lost in thought.

“It seems not…” Que Chuling’s eyes widened. “Could it be that…”

Que Chuling had been classmates with Jiao Shanyue since their teenage years, and before that, she had indeed never heard that Jiao Shanyue had a younger brother.

“She told me he was her biological younger brother, fostered by another family. This…”

Que Chuling murmured, the color draining from her face.

Que Yining felt this was a colossal joke, even funnier than the previous “helplessness.”

“As far as I know, your ex-girlfriend, whom you believe died years ago, had no relatives. No one ever said she had a younger brother. What’s even more interesting is that this brother, supposedly fostered by another family, she specifically entrusted to you before she died…”

The smile on Que Yining’s face deepened. She felt Que Linyang had played this trick beautifully.

“I’m afraid by the time you met this brother, he was already under Que Linyang’s control.”

Que Yining had to admire Que Linyang’s skill in manipulating people’s hearts, able to fabricate one convincing lie after another.

Que Yining even wondered if Que Linyang had some special skill for charming women, to be able to hook them so easily and leave such a perfect impression in their hearts, making them infatuated with him.

Que Chuling’s vision blurred. She tried to stand up but found herself unsteady.

The shock left her unable to think about anything else, her mind filled with the past.

Was even this last sentence a lie?

If it had been a few years ago, Que Chuling might have screamed or cried. But now, she just coldly observed her own numb reaction, as if in that instant, her soul had been pulled from her body, and all joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness belonged to someone else.

“A few years ago, Que Linyang used the family’s projects to gain many benefits for himself. He is actually the person behind the current Hengyang Shopping Plaza. Four years ago, Dad originally planned to buy that piece of land to build a tourist resort, launching a new high-end brand series for Que Corp. Catering. But we lost the bid that year, precisely to Hengyang.”

Que Chuling sat back down in her chair, her reactions somewhat mechanical as she recounted what she knew.

“Three years ago, he embezzled a large amount of funds for his own company’s working capital, nearly causing a subsidiary’s capital chain to break. Although it eventually recovered, many stores were closed, leading to a significant drop in revenue that year.”

“Although we started in the catering industry, our traditional offline stores have always been under pressure. Many other brands have ventured into the fast-food business, but we haven’t launched anything yet because we don’t have a flagship product. After a long period of development, research, and trial runs, we were planning to launch. But at the end of last year, Que Linyang vetoed it, citing market saturation.”

“Vetoed?”

Que Yining doubted the reason of market saturation, although she was more involved in the game market, real estate, and entertainment industries, she wasn’t entirely ignorant about catering.

“As long as you have a competitive edge and occupy a certain market share, even a saturated market has a place for you. He was just worried that if you appeared, you would take over directly, especially since you had already started your own company by then.”

One by one, Que Chuling revealed everything she knew.

Que Yining quickly took notes, recording keywords on her phone. The more information she had, the greater her chances of bringing down Que Linyang.

After Que Chuling finished talking about Que Linyang’s company affairs, she began to talk about what she knew of his private life.

“Que Linyang got together with her the year Hou Manni’s father fell from power. I didn’t know if there was anything before that, and Hou Manni didn’t know either, so let’s assume that was the beginning of his affair. I once wondered why, in such a big world, it was so coincidental. Later I found out he was just being targeted. A good friend of Que Zixi was also involved with him.”

Que Chuling couldn’t help but show emotion when she spoke of these things, clearly finding them repulsive.

“A good friend of Que Zixi also got involved with him?”

Que Yining was surprised; this was something she hadn’t known.

Of the Que family’s three adopted children, the eldest and second eldest went into business. Que Zixi chose her beloved art and was often away.

Evidently, Que Linyang harbored strong hostility towards the other members of the Que family. Whether it was Que Zixi or the original owner, despite their apparent lack of interest in the family assets, Que Linyang still couldn’t rest easy and had to personally get involved to contact and monitor them. This was completely different from his usual cautious and indirect way of doing things.

Que Chuling: “Yes, they lost contact long ago. Que Zixi still doesn’t know, and it’s probably better that she doesn’t.”

Que Yining thought that made sense. After all, Que Linyang hadn’t contacted Qiao Yuchu after she graduated from high school.

No… Que Yining pressed her temples, carefully recalling her first conversation with Qiao Yuchu about Que Linyang a few months ago.

At that time, Qiao Yuchu had said Que Linyang got married later, but according to the timeline, Que Linyang was already married then.

Que Yining sent a message to Qiao Yuchu and continued listening to Que Chuling.

“When Que Linyang married Hou Manni, anyone with discerning eyes knew it was because of the benefits represented by Hou Manni’s backing. After his father-in-law fell from power and he was implicated, Que Linyang stopped putting on a superficial show for Hou Manni. In these years, I’ve heard from Hou Manni about at least three mistresses he’s had.”

“There’s not much to say about Que Linyang’s private life, because he’s very secretive in his dealings. Apart from what I heard from Hou Manni, I couldn’t find any clues myself. Regarding benefits, he still hasn’t learned his lesson. He’s currying favor with the current mayor, still using the same old tricks. Once this current ‘tiger’ is brought down, he will inevitably be implicated. I have some audio recordings as evidence here.”

Que Chuling took out her phone and played the evidence for Que Yining.

Que Yining’s expression grew colder as she listened. Que Linyang was actually using Que Corp.’s name to seek personal gain. If he got into trouble, Que Corp. would find it hard to escape involvement.

“This isn’t just raising an ungrateful wolf. If he’s going down, does he plan to take my dad’s life’s work down with him?”

Que Yining couldn’t help but think that her adoptive parents hadn’t adopted a son, but an enemy.

Murder for money, his intentions were truly damnable. Repaying kindness with malice, unworthy of being called human.

Que Corp. was her father’s lifelong endeavor. If anything happened to it… Que Yining pressed her brow. She wouldn’t let such a thing happen.

“I’ll send you all the evidence later. If you need any help from me, just ask.”

Que Chuling’s expression was devoid of emotion, her whole being seemed to have lost its vitality, shrouded in a layer of gray.

She must have been devastated by the fact that the person she loved had used her for someone else’s benefit even before dying. Her deep affection was all for naught, utterly ridiculous.

After their conversation, Que Yining successfully obtained all the information she wanted and began to plan her next steps in her mind.

She watched Que Chuling’s dazed departing figure, only hoping she wouldn’t go on to harm anyone else.

The word “substitute” made Que Yining feel rather uncomfortable.

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In the evening, Gu Shanxue arrived at the hospital room with soup.

Although the hospital provided better food for single VIP rooms, Que Yining didn’t eat much. After Gu Shanxue discovered this, she came every day to bring soup.

The nurse had just finished changing Que Yining’s dressing. Que Yining lay in bed, her face somewhat pale. The pain from the dressing change had caused her to break out in a thin sweat, her bangs damp and stuck to her temples.

Despite this, the moment she saw Gu Shanxue, she still smiled.

It made Gu Shanxue feel that if Que Yining could move at that moment, she would definitely walk over and give her a big hug, carrying the warmth of sunshine.

In her eyes, Que Yining was just such a presence, radiating an aura. Even now, lying in bed due to illness, she still exuded vibrant life, like an unbreakable wild rose surrounded by thorns.

“How are you today? Feeling any better?”

Gu Shanxue opened the food container, adjusted Que Yining to a comfortable position, and fed her soup.

“Yes,” Que Yining nodded. “Seeing you every day and drinking your soup, I feel like my recovery speed is increasing exponentially.”

After a few days of observation, Que Yining decided to start being direct.

Since you won’t admit you have feelings for me, I’ll force you to admit it, force you to show it.

Her words were straightforward and frank, her joy unconcealed, causing Gu Shanxue’s heart to skip a beat.

She wasn’t unaware that Que Yining might still like her, but… but why was she being so direct today?

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