Chapter 71 Extra 1 (Normal World Ending) Qu Mingyuan 1V1

Guanlan Mansion, Yunzhou City, Qinghe Province.

A sleek black sedan silently glided into the parking space. The door was pushed open smoothly, and Qu Chen stepped onto the ground with his long legs. The 23-year-old was tall and upright, wearing a well-tailored black flight jacket that accentuated his sharp shoulder lines.

His features were clearly defined beneath his tousled hair, and his jawline held a faint air of indifference. He casually shoved his car keys into his pocket and strode towards the courtyard.

The newly appointed butler, Zhou, greeted him at the door and said respectfully, "Young Master Chen, the master is in the reception room."

"Hmm." Qu Chen responded with a soft sound, his steps unwavering as he walked straight through the front courtyard.

Before even stepping into the living room, a passionate voice rang out from inside:

"...Mingyuan, it's not that I'm being nosy as your uncle, but the Qu family has always been a family that values ​​poetry and etiquette, and it's a tradition of mutual support and care. That's a rule passed down from our elders."

"You're in a higher position now, but you can't forget your roots and just focus on protecting your own reputation, can you?"

Qu Chen paused slightly, stopping at the intersection of light and shadow in the living room.

The voice continued, its tone clearly shifting towards him: "Take last time, for example. I kindly wanted my good-for-nothing son to go and train under Qu Chen, to learn some practical skills."

We're family, so let's not be formal. The Chenxing Fund that Xiaochen has is ultimately left behind by Brother Jianzhang and his wife, so it belongs to the Qu family!

With such a great platform within our own organization, why not let our younger generation gain experience and benefit from it? Are we just going to let outsiders profit from it? That's not fair. We should keep the benefits within our own family.

And guess what? That kid rejected her without saying a word! Not only did he reject her, but he also said some really harsh things, showing absolutely no sympathy!

This is nothing like the behavior of a member of the Qu family! If you ask me, it's because their parents died early and they weren't disciplined enough. You, as their uncle, need to pay more attention..."

"Discipline?"

Two cold words abruptly cut off the long discourse inside.

Qu Chen stood with one hand in his pocket, backlit, his features sharp and defined.

His gaze fell coldly on the face of the incessantly chattering distant uncle, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

“He’s here, how do you want to manage him? Tell me.”

The living room is bright and shadowy, with afternoon sunlight filtering through the sheer curtains and casting square patterns on the polished wooden floor.

A faint aroma of tea filled the air. Qu Mingyuan sat on the main sofa, wearing a light gray cashmere sweater, exuding a relaxed and comfortable homey vibe.

He held a cup of tea in his hand, his fingertips casually brushing the rim of the cup, his eyelids slightly lowered, as if listening carefully, or as if his mind was wandering, exuding a calm and composed demeanor that was impervious to storms.

The distant uncle was speechless at Qu Chen's words, a hint of embarrassment flashing across his face. He then puffed out his chest, trying to maintain the air of an elder: "You child, how can you talk like that! When your parents passed away suddenly, which of us elders didn't help with the funeral arrangements?"

"Oh? Now look what's happened, your words are so hurtful."

Qu Chen curled his lips in a mocking smile: "Yeah, that's right. After finishing the funeral, they were busy trying to take me away. If they couldn't take me away, they were trying to find ways to stuff me into the things my parents left behind."

"What nonsense are you spouting!"

The other person seemed to have been provoked, and their voice suddenly rose, "We were just worried about you! How old was your uncle back then? Could he have taken good care of you?"

Who knew there was some wicked person plotting something back then? You can't pin all those despicable things on us elders who genuinely care about you!

Qu Chen's jawline tightened, and he wanted to turn around and leave immediately, but for some reason, he suppressed his restlessness and turned his face away, his Adam's apple bobbing, and he remained silent.

Only then did Qu Mingyuan gently put down his teacup, the porcelain making a clear, resonant sound as it touched the wooden tabletop.

He looked up, his gaze calmly landing on the flushed face of his uncle, a polite smile playing on his lips, his tone gentle as if in casual conversation:

"Seventh Uncle, when our family suddenly faced a crisis back then, you and the elders took care of everything. Xiao Chen and I remember that kindness."

He first offered a way out, then subtly changed the subject, his smile not reaching his eyes, "But later, after Xiao Chen moved in with me, the uncles and elders probably felt that the child was settled and were at ease, so they did visit less frequently than before."

The other party understood the underlying meaning: back then, when they realized they couldn't take Qu Chen away, they simply distanced themselves from him, but now that they saw there was profit to be made, they came forward again.

Caught off guard, his face tightened, and he stammered, his eyes darting around, "I..."

Qu Mingyuan seemed oblivious to his embarrassment, and continued calmly with a smile: "Affection is affection, and rules are rules. It's a good thing to arrange for your children to gain experience, but if you want to use the family name to obstruct or hinder others, then you've crossed the line, and that won't work here."

He turned his gaze to Qu Chen, who stood silently to the side, and said clearly, "The Chenxing Fund was left to Xiao Chen by his parents. How to manage it, who to use it for, and where to use it should be entirely up to him. He's grown up and has his own judgment. As his uncle, I'll just watch from the sidelines and not overstep my bounds."

As for discipline...

"Our Qu family's children know right from wrong, understand bottom lines, and know how to protect what should be protected and refuse what should be refused. That's good. What do you think?"

After all that talk, they still won't help!

This seventh uncle from a collateral branch was clearly dissatisfied with the answer and was about to continue speaking when he met Qu Mingyuan's gaze.

It was still that gentle face, even the slight polite curve of his lips was still there, but the warmth in his eyes had completely faded, and he just looked over quietly.

He was momentarily dazed; the Qu Mingyuan before him seemed to overlap with the pale, silent boy who stood at the funeral years ago, only to be quickly separated from him again.

At that time, Qu Mingyuan was so composed that he didn't seem like a child who had just come of age, but he still gave people the illusion that he was young and easy to bully.

And now...

The man in front of me was still leaning back comfortably on the sofa, without even changing his posture, but the aura he exuded was completely different.

No need to slam your fist on the table or speak out loud; that's enough to shut up those who are being unreasonable.

Qu Mingyuan didn't wait for him to recover from his loss of composure. He simply raised his eyebrows slightly and patiently waited for the pointless chatter to end.

Uncle Qi's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily. The chill on his back hadn't dissipated yet, but there was an old saying in the Xia Kingdom: "Since we're already here."

We can't come here for nothing.

He was willing to risk his reputation to gain something.

So he sat back down on the sofa, but his body unconsciously tilted to one side to avoid the oppressive gaze of the uncle and nephew opposite him.

"Oh dear, look at me, I'm getting senile, saying things that make you younger generation feel awkward. The most important thing for a family is to be harmonious and peaceful, how can I really make things difficult for you? I was just saying it casually, just listen and forget about it, please don't take it to heart."

As he spoke, he observed Qu Mingyuan's expression. Seeing that the other party remained indifferent and noncommittal, he smoothly changed the subject:

"But Mingyuan, let me be frank with you, look, Xiaochen is all grown up now, you don't need to worry about him anymore. On the contrary, you yourself have been focused on your work all these years, and there's no one around to take care of you."

"How can this be?"