Before me was a dimly lit study, and a musty, old smell wafted out.
Sunlight struggled to filter through the gaps in the curtains, casting a meager glow onto the bookshelves piled high with books.
The walls of the study were somewhat mottled, and an old desk stood in the center of the room, piled high with various documents and stationery, making it look messy and crowded.
In the dim light, the items on the desk were shrouded in mystery.
"Kneel down. You've made such a huge mistake in just a few days.
A man in his fifties, with a gloomy face, always wearing a stern expression, and sharp eyes.
His hair, slightly gray, was meticulously combed, revealing his seriousness and rigidity.
His voice was deep and steady, and his tone was stern, which inspired awe in people.
He was the former head of the Qian family, and now he is Qian Ming, the chairman of the Qian Group.
"Do you know you're wrong?" Qian Ming asked coldly.
Before he could finish speaking, a whip lashed out like a venomous snake, striking the kneeling man hard.
The person kneeling on the ground was Qian Chengfeng.
"I know I was wrong," Qian Chengfeng replied, his head bowed, a flash of hatred in his eyes.
Although his face was covered in cold sweat from the excruciating pain, he gritted his teeth and remained silent, as if he were already used to it.
"Tell me, where exactly did you go wrong?" Qian Ming swung his whip again, this time with even greater force, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound.
To avoid making a sound, Qian Chengfeng bit his lips tightly, and even tasted a hint of rust.
However, his body remained upright like a pine tree, only slightly leaning forward after the heavy blow, before quickly returning to its original position.
After the pain subsided slightly, Qian Chengfeng forced himself to swallow the blood in his mouth before slowly saying, "Firstly, I shouldn't have acted rashly against the Huo family before I had a sure chance of winning, which might have made Huo Nanchu wary."
"Secondly: Due to my excessive arrogance, the Qian family has been ridiculed and mocked in social circles, and its reputation has been severely damaged."
Thirdly: I am too trusting of others.
The "other person" mentioned here is Zhao Ziheng.
“With your appearance like this, how can you possibly compare to Huo Nanchu?” Qian Ming said with an icy expression, and then lashed out with a whip.
Qian Chengfeng forced himself to suppress the metallic taste in his mouth, keeping his lips tightly closed and remaining silent.
"Now that you know you've made a mistake, don't repeat it in the future. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless and finding someone else to replace you," Qian Ming warned coldly, then casually tossed aside the whip in his hand and turned to leave.
Qian Chengfeng breathed a sigh of relief, his body limp and he collapsed to the ground, letting the blood spill from the corner of his mouth flow freely.
In fact, Qian Chengfeng had long been accustomed to such cruel beatings and punishments.
From a young age, regardless of whether he won first place, played the piano perfectly, or fell off his horse while riding, or accidentally broke something, all sorts of reasons could lead to his father, Qian Ming, treating him this way.
Since his mother's passing, Qian Chengfeng has seemed to have lost his soul, becoming a cold, lifeless machine.
His life trajectory was meticulously planned by Qian Ming, and every step had to strictly follow the established procedure; the slightest deviation could cause a huge uproar.
When his mother was still alive, she always managed to cleverly cover up his mistakes and help him avoid Qian Ming's severe punishment.
However, when he turned eight, his mother suddenly passed away, and from then on, no one could protect or comfort him.
During those days of injury, no one would tenderly wipe his wounds, gently blow on them, or gently tell him that it wasn't his fault and that everything would be alright when he grew up.
But even now, though he is an adult, the situation remains unchanged.
As time passed, loneliness and pain followed him like a shadow, and the person who gave him warmth and shelter was no longer alive.
He was left all alone to struggle in this world.
He did his best and racked his brains to handle everything properly and perfectly, hoping that one day he could get rid of the predicament of being bound by Qian Ming.
After a long while, Qian Chengfeng finally regained some strength and tremblingly reached out a hand to wipe away the bloodstains remaining at the corner of his mouth.
Then, with difficulty, he propped himself up and stood up unsteadily.
Before leaving, Qian Chengfeng glanced at the room. It was originally Qian Ming's study when he was young, but it had not been used for more than forty years.
Aside from the servants coming to clean, Qian Chengfeng only comes here when he is being punished.
"Brother, are you alright?" Qian Chengyi's tone was full of anxiety and concern.
He remained hidden in the shadows until he was certain that Qian Ming had left before daring to show himself.
"It's alright, I'm used to it." Qian Chengfeng's voice was low, and he tried his best to pretend to be indifferent.
"How can you say it's a habit!" Upon hearing this, Qian Chengyi's eyes instantly reddened, and tears almost welled up in his eyes.
"You're such a grown-up, why are you still crying like a little kid?"
Don't worry, I'm really fine. I'll be better in a few days.
"Besides, Father didn't hit too hard this time." Qian Chengfeng endured the pain and tried to comfort his younger brother.
He forced a smile, but his stiff expression and slightly trembling voice could not hide the pain and helplessness in his heart.
Qian Chengfeng twitched the corners of his mouth slightly, trying to make his smile look more natural, but ultimately failed.
"Brother, why don't we just escape from this place?"
"Don't worry, I've been secretly saving money all these years, enough to support the two of us."
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