In the spacious and bright dining room of the Gu family, the morning light shines through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the exquisite tableware and reflecting a warm glow.

Grandpa Gu was beaming as he looked at Qin Xiao sitting opposite him and his granddaughter Gu Siqing nestled beside him, his wrinkles crinkling into a wide smile.

Gu Tianxiong also showed a rare gentle smile and nodded frequently.

"Grandson-in-law, did you sleep well last night?" Old Master Gu put down his silver fork and asked in a loud voice.

With a perfectly measured smile on his face, Qin Xiao calmly wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin.

"Thanks to Grandpa, I got a good rest."

He then changed the subject, his tone carrying a hint of apology.

"However, I have some urgent matters to attend to at home, so I must take my leave now."

Upon hearing this, Gu Siqing immediately raised her head, her watery eyes filled with reluctance, and subconsciously grabbed Qin Xiao's sleeve.

“I…I want to go back with you too.”

Her voice carried the lingering languor and deep affection of the previous night, a stark contrast to her usual cool and aloof demeanor.

Qin Xiao patted the back of her hand reassuringly, his gaze gentle yet unwavering.

"Honey, I need to go back to my parents' place and explain things first."

He paused, his tone becoming somewhat helpless.

"I guess I'll have to face a storm on my own first."

Gu Siqing was very clever and immediately understood Qin Xiao's meaning. Although she was still reluctant, she nodded and let go of his hand.

As expected, when Qin Xiao drove his unassuming black sedan into the Qin family manor, he was not greeted with the usual tranquility.

The moment I stepped into the living room, a chilling atmosphere enveloped me.

Qin Xiangjun sat upright on the mahogany sofa in the main seat with a sullen face, holding a copper-tipped leather belt with a cold, hard luster in his hand.

The air seemed to freeze.

When Qin Ruoyan saw her brother return, her face lit up with joy at first, but then she saw the belt in her father's hand and her face turned pale instantly. She rushed to Qin Xiao's side, trying to bluff her way out of it.

"Brother! You're back! Um... Dad must have something good to tell you, right, Dad?"

Qin Xiangjun's sharp gaze swept over them, his voice as cold as ice.

"Get out of my way!"

"Or I'll beat you up too!"

Qin Ruoyan shrank back in fright, but still refused to move aside completely, looking at Qin Xiao with concern.

Qin Xiao gave his sister a reassuring look, then spoke to Yun Yiyi in his mind.

'System, temporarily remove any defensive effects such as [Reflection] that may be present on your character.'

Yun Yiyi was somewhat puzzled.

[Huh? Host, what are you going to do...?]

A barely perceptible smile appeared on Qin Xiao's lips.

'It's just a beating; I'll use a ruse.'

He took a deep breath, calmly walked up to Qin Xiangjun, and stood still.

Qin Xiangjun suddenly stood up, raised the belt in his hand, and lashed it off with a whoosh!

Snap!

The crisp sound was particularly jarring in the quiet living room.

The belt slammed down on Qin Xiao's back, leaving a mark that quickly turned red.

Qin Xiao remained completely still, without even frowning, only straightening his spine.

Qin Xiangjun's eyes were bloodshot as he lashed out and roared.

"You spendthrift son!"

*Smack!* Another one!

"I've worked my ass off for half my life! And you just gave it all away for a woman?!"

Smack! Smack! Smack!

The copper-tipped leather belt fell repeatedly, and Qin Xiao gritted his teeth, enduring the excruciating pain without uttering a sound.

Sweat seeped from his forehead and slid down his cheeks, but his eyes remained calm.

Qin Ruoyan was so anxious that tears were about to fall, but she didn't dare to go forward again.

It wasn't until Qin Xiao's mother heard the noise and rushed downstairs, grabbing Qin Xiangjun's arm and crying out, that she heard the commotion.

"Xiang Jun! Stop hitting him! You'll hurt the child!"

She looked at the blood-stained wounds on her son's back with heartache, and turned to Qin Xiao with tearful eyes.

"Xiao'er! Quickly apologize to your father! Say you were wrong!"

Qin Xiao slowly shook his head, his gaze calmly fixed on his father, who was in a fit of rage.

Instead of admitting his mistake, he whispered a name in a voice that only he and his parents nearby could hear.

"Li Changsheng..."

Qin Xiangjun paused, his belt hanging in mid-air. He hadn't heard clearly, so he asked sharply.

"What did you say?! Say it again!"

Qin Xiao raised his head, his eyes sharp as knives, his voice clear and steady, and began to call out names one by one.

"Zhang Mingyuan, vice president of Qin's Real Estate, is suspected of abusing his power to acquire land at low prices and resell it at high prices, thereby embezzling approximately 87 million yuan of company assets."

"Wang Haitao, the finance director, falsified accounts, overstated project payments, and embezzled approximately 53 million yuan."

"Qin Jianye, a director of the Qin Group and a cousin of Qin, engaged in illegal trading using insider information, and profited no less than 100 million yuan."

...

He rattled off more than twenty names in one breath, each followed by a shocking string of numbers.

These people were all high-ranking members of the Qin Group, including some of Qin family uncles and cousins.

The entire living room was completely silent, except for Qin Xiao's calm voice echoing through the room.

Finally, he fixed his gaze on Qin Xiangjun's eyes, which were slightly widened in shock.

"Most of the assets I promised to deliver to the Gu family yesterday were gray assets that had been embezzled by these people or posed significant legal risks."

“Especially the person in charge of Qin’s Private Equity Trust Fund, your good brother, Li Changsheng.”

"He not only used the fund platform to repeatedly mortgage several plots of land, embezzling at least 500 million yuan for his own pocket, but he also betrayed his own people and is now colluding with outsiders to set a huge trap for our Qin family, intending to swallow the entire Qin Group."

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