Returning to the bedroom, Qin Anning found a completely different scene.
Her father, initially full of anger, was now looking at Qin Xuan with satisfaction.
Qin Xuan, meanwhile, was squatting on the ground, picking up the pinhole camera and listening device that had been smashed into scrap.
"What, what exactly is going on?"
Seeing these two items that shouldn't have been there, Qin Anning already had some suspicions.
Qin Xuan's playful expression further confirmed her doubts.
"Yes, Second Brother..."
Yes.
The owner of these two items was the Second Brother she was referring to.
As soon as Qin Xuan entered, he heard the girl eavesdropping from too close to the door.
After a brief scan of the room, he detected the listening device in the alarm clock and the pinhole camera in the desk lamp, as he had expected.
Listening device: Damn it, what kind of genius thought of putting a listening device in an alarm clock?
Pinhole camera: Is the bastard on the other side of the screen dizzy? Who the hell taught you to point a camera at a light bulb?!
So, to protect the mental and physical health of the subordinates responsible for monitoring and observing the old man, Qin Xuan decisively signaled the old man with his eyes to cooperate in a play.
Qin Shoujiang, being extremely astute, immediately understood.
This led to the passionate confrontation that followed between the two.
"Good boy, you've got your father's sharp wits!"
"You're not short, and your bones are strong enough. You're much better than I imagined!"
With his hands on Qin Xuan's arms, Qin Shoujiang vigorously tested Qin Xuan's current physique.
His robust appearance, if seen by those who had been monitoring him, would surely make their jaws drop.
Qin Xuan smiled without speaking, merely observing the somewhat weathered old man.
Qin Shoujiang was now a full 72 years old.
However, judging by his condition, he was not only comparable to others his age but could even outperform a 27-year-old young man.
"You're in good health too, full of spirit and strong. You're much better than I imagined."
After speaking, the two looked at each other and smiled.
There was no sense of unfamiliarity from being separated for twenty years.
Although Qin Anning was happy to see this, she couldn't forget the listening device and camera that had appeared earlier.
"You knew these things were around you all along?"
Qin Anning asked Qin Shoujiang with disbelief.
Qin Shoujiang nodded gently, saying with disdain, "These little tricks are beneath notice. I didn't say anything because I wanted to see how far Qin Anbang could go."
"It's a pity that after all these years, he still resorts to surveillance and poisoning."
"He doesn't even have the courage to confront me directly."
"Surveillance?"
"And poisoning?"
"No wonder you've been so exhausted lately!"
Qin Shoujiang's words struck Qin Anning like a bomb.
She quickly hurried to her father's side, only to find him as strong as an ox, showing no signs of poisoning.
"Silly girl, I knew he was poisoning me, so how could I have been affected?"
"My previous appearance was all an act, just to make him speed up his progress."
"Progress?"
"You're not talking about the progress of taking control of the Qin family, are you?"
Having reached this point, Qin Anning wasn't foolish.
With all this surveillance and poisoning, she couldn't think of any other motive Qin Anbang could have besides wanting to kill the old man and seize the Qin family entirely.
"Of course."
The old man chuckled, as if the whole matter had nothing to do with him.
However, no matter how much Qin Anning thought about it, she couldn't accept the idea that her second brother would harm their father.
After all, no matter what, her second brother was still the father's biological son.
Even if he was often neglected, he never lacked anything he should have had.
"Silly girl, you don't understand."
"Your second brother has always been cunning."
"He not only uses his own advantages to get what he wants but also uses others to gain more benefits for himself."
"There's nothing wrong with that, but the problem is, he's too petty."
"Whatever he does, he doesn't dare to go all out."
"Take these years after your eldest brother's death, for instance."
"For twenty whole years, apart from gaining control of a small portion of the industries through gradual encroachment, most of the Qin family's assets still remain in my hands."
"Even though I've appeared exhausted due to the poison he administered, he still doesn't dare to seize even a little more power from me."
"With his lack of courage, let alone catching up to your eldest brother, he's not even as capable as your third sister."
"Even if I die one day, he might not be able to inherit this vast Qin family on his own!"
"Fortunately, the hope of my Qin family has never rested on this unfilial son..."
After speaking, Qin Shoujiang's gaze returned to Qin Xuan, who was standing beside him.
This child was the only hope of the Qin family in his eyes.
Whether it was Qin Anbang or Qin Anrong, in his opinion, they were merely obstacles to cultivate Qin Xuan.
As for familial affection...
That kind of thing had vanished long ago when they decided to make a move against Qin Antai.
"Alright, Xiao Qi went out to deliver the message and should be back by now."
"Feiyu, you and Anning should take my hair and leave for now."
"Once the paternity test results are out, I will have Anning announce that you are the legitimate son and grandson of my Qin family."
"However, even so, in the days to come, I will still maintain a very distant attitude towards you."
"How much of the Qin family you can take will depend entirely on your own methods."
After looking at Qin Xuan with some reluctance, Qin Shoujiang urged Qin Xuan and Qin Anning to leave first.
He didn't want to expose his close relationship with Qin Xuan too early, partly to prevent Qin Anbang from being too weak and giving up his resistance directly.
Secondly, he didn't want to provide too much assistance to Qin Xuan, wanting him to take over the entire Qin family through his own means.
However, Qin Xuan's thoughts were clearly different from Qin Shoujiang's.
Qin Anbang had murdered his brother and father, so it was only natural for him to find a way to deal with him.
But this Qin family was simply too large.
He didn't want to expend too much energy integrating the Qin family.
Moreover, even if he were to lead the entire Qin family, he would still have to engage in strategic battles with other families for the development of the Qin family.
Just thinking about the complexities made Qin Xuan, who disliked trouble since childhood, feel dizzy.
However, now that he and Qin Shoujiang had just acknowledged each other, directly refusing him was clearly not a sensible choice.
Moreover, judging by the old man's tone, he clearly intended to test and train him through this matter.
So, despite having a hundred reasons to refuse, Qin Xuan nodded gently, not arguing much.
After all, he and the old man would have plenty of time to interact in the future.
At worst, he would follow the old man's wishes for now, and when the time was right, he would ask the old man to step forward and personally oversee the overall situation.
This way, he would not only meet the old man's expectations but also avoid having to rack his brains to manage such a large family.