"Please," Chen Dong opened the door, ushering the two out.
Though Qin Xinhui was displeased, he sensed the palpable tension emanating from Qin Beiting, a sign that he was on the verge of anger.
If the truth were to be pursued, their intrusion was indeed rash.
Not wanting to give Qin Beiting any ammunition, he forced a smile and said, "Uncle is right to teach us. Jin Cheng, let's go, we'll wait for Uncle in the conference room."
Qin Jin Cheng's expression was one of displeasure, but he understood Qin Xinhui's intention.
They could leave now, but if they dared to knock again, he'd be done with them.
They would all proceed to the conference room, conduct their business professionally, and hopefully, Qin Beiting wouldn't be able to catch them making a single mistake.
"Oh," he replied lazily, following Qin Xinhui out.
The moment the door closed, Qin Beiting immediately switched back to his code page, only to find the data displayed abnormally. The other party's computer had shut down.
He had been so close to obtaining their information, but they had escaped.
Interesting. If they met again, they wouldn't be so lucky.
He switched back to the WeChat page, sent Bei Ming a message, logged out, shut down his computer, and got up to leave.
—
Tian Yu.
Yu He was eating takeout, her mind occupied by the failed network intrusion from that morning. She had later used her phone to check the IP address; it belonged to a subsidiary company of Sheng Da Venture Capital.
The Xing Que Hall Master was at Sheng Da Venture Capital?!
If she recalled correctly, it was a small branch company under the Qin Shi Consortium, currently managed by Qin Beiting. The Xing Que Hall Master's appointment was for two o'clock in the afternoon, at Di Sheng, not far from Sheng Da Venture Capital…
Suddenly, a phone ring interrupted her thoughts. It was Shi Ban.
"Crow, I'm in Bei Shi with Nan Ou to record a program. Want to meet for lunch? Thank you for curing Nan Ou's illness."
Shi Ban had prepared and administered the herbal medicine according to Yu He's prescription to Nan Ou for a week. Not only had his enteritis cleared up, but his recurring stomach problems were also gone.
This had filled him with admiration, and he wished to ask Yu He to help cure someone else's illness.
"I have something to do this afternoon, so lunch is out. If you want to repay the favor, I happen to need a driver. You can be of service," Yu He said.
"Sure, send me the address," Shi Ban agreed readily.
Yu He sent him the address, tidied up the takeout containers, grabbed her gear, and left.
Half-past one in the afternoon.
Shi Ban arrived at the address Yu He had given. He saw a person about 1.7 meters tall, wearing a black trench coat and a mask, whose gender was indistinguishable.
Just as he was about to call Yu He, the person directly opened the back door of the car and got in.
Shi Ban turned his head and hesitantly called out, "Boss?"
Yu He removed her mask and said, "Go to Di Sheng."
"Are you dressed like that to go rob a bank?!" Shi Ban teased.
Yu He pondered for a moment and replied, "Something like that."
The Xing Que Hall Master had agreed so readily. She wondered if there was a trap.
If there was a trap, she'd have to play it by ear.
Therefore, she needed a driver to assist her.
Shi Ban: !!!
"No way, Boss! I was just joking, you're actually serious?!"
In his excitement, Shi Ban veered the steering wheel slightly, and a car next to him honked to alert him. He quickly corrected his course.
"Drive properly and don't talk," Yu He instructed.
How could Shi Ban keep quiet? "As an unwitting accomplice, shouldn't I understand the plan?"
"Just wait for me at the entrance," Yu He said.
Twenty minutes later.
Shi Ban parked the car in front of Di Sheng. Yu He put on her mask and got out.
The crowd at Di Sheng was not large after the lunch rush. She entered the elevator and pressed the button for the fourth floor.
The fourth floor housed Di Sheng's bar and entertainment facilities, which would be lively at night. At this time, there were very few patrons.
Yu He exited the elevator and saw two men emerge from the bar area ahead. She ducked behind a pillar.
As footsteps approached, she heard their voices:
"No wonder Uncle is 24 and doesn't even have a girlfriend. It turns out he's not in a hurry to inherit Grandpa's shares because he likes men."
"Jin Cheng, don't say such things when we get back to the old house."
The two men walked towards the elevator, waiting for it to arrive.
"What's there to not say?" Qin Jin Cheng retorted, unconvinced:
"His own behavior is inappropriate. He can't even help himself from looking at that kind of thing at the company. Who knows what he does in private? I've heard the gay scene is quite messy, it makes me sick just thinking about it. And he has the nerve to say we didn't learn our etiquette and disturbed him watching his videos. I think he's been a pervert since he was a child!"
Qin Xinhui listened to his words, his eyes darkening. He said:
"Alright, it's the 21st century. Is it strange to like someone of the same sex? If Uncle likes men, then let him like men."
Qin Jin Cheng glanced at Qin Xinhui in surprise, somewhat taken aback that he was defending Qin Beiting.
But then he thought about it and understood.
He nodded and agreed, "That's true. Uncle likes men, and it's impossible for him to get married in China. If he doesn't get married, he can never inherit the shares Grandpa left him! Perfect, one less competitor."
Qin Xinhui's gaze was steady; he didn't speak, seemingly lost in thought.
Seeing his silence, Qin Jin Cheng continued, "No wonder Grandpa's efforts to arrange a marriage between him and Miss Qi's family haven't progressed. When we go back, I should tell Grandpa about Uncle's sexual orientation. It would be better to introduce Miss Qi to you than to Uncle for a marriage alliance..."
At that moment, the elevator doors opened, and the two entered.
As the doors closed, Yu He emerged from behind the pillar.
She recognized these two.
When she was still in the Qin family, she was of the same generation as Qin Xinhui, the "Xin" generation. She used to call Qin Xinhui "gege" (older brother).
As far as she could remember, Qin Xinhui always liked to bully her. And when Qin Beiting protected her, Qin Xinhui would naturally shift the blame to Qin Beiting.
Qin Beiting back then was always impulsive. He would immediately beat up Qin Xinhui. Qin Xinhui, unable to win, would then complain to the family head. As a result, Qin Beiting would always be punished by kneeling in the ancestral hall and copying family rules.
As for the other, Qin Jin Cheng, Yu He had no prior contact with him. He was adopted by Qin Xin Hong after she was unable to have children, after Yu He had left the Qin family.
Rumor had it that he was favored by Qin Xin Hong and the current family head.
And the "Uncle" that Qin Jin Cheng mentioned... was Qin Beiting.
Qin Beiting liked men?!
She recalled their interactions during this period. Qin Beiting's deliberate flirtatious behavior towards her was purely because he was attracted to men, and he simply treated her as a niece?
That was why his actions didn't violate his moral principles?
A strange, indescribable discomfort welled up in Yu He's heart.
"Excuse me, is there anything I can help you with?" a waiter approached and asked.
Yu He snapped back to reality. "Which way is room 808?"
Upon hearing the room number, the waiter immediately replied respectfully, "Please follow me."
This private room was not open to the public, but if someone was looking for it, it meant they were important guests.
Yu He followed the waiter to the private room and pushed the door open. Inside, a burly man in a black suit stood.
Yu He recognized him; he was the bodyguard who had escorted her to meet the Tian Que Hall Master.
"Your Hall Master isn't here?" Yu He surveyed the room, finding only him.