The spacious, expansive living room had always been lively with the four little rascals around. In summer, they played badminton inside; in winter, they played basketball. Qin Yuhe often felt that the four of them were like four mischievous monkeys, endlessly noisy and energetic.
But now that all four of them had suddenly disappeared, Qin Yuhe found himself unable to adjust.
The house was empty and silent. The laughter and warmth that had made it feel like home were gone.
With a New Year’s gift for Song Xinya in hand, Qin Yuhe strode into the house.
His pace grew faster and faster, his steps lengthening.
His black coat billowed in the wind, scattering cold frost across the ground.
The instant his black leather shoes touched the spiral staircase, his tall, commanding figure broke into a run.
The red gift bag brushed against his black coat, making a soft rustling sound.
He raced down the long corridor and reached the bedroom door on the second floor.
Bracing both hands against the door, the veins on the backs of his hands standing out, he pushed it open.
The door swung wide, revealing the scene inside.
The vanity, once covered with bottles and jars, was now completely bare.
He opened the wardrobe. The luxury clothes and bags he had given her were still there, but the clothes she had bought herself were gone.
On the nightstand lay only his favorite book, Wuthering Heights. None of the books she used to read before bed remained.
Qin Yuhe stood in the empty bedroom as his head spun. He felt as though he had been plunged into a world of ice and snow.
His lowered hand clenched tightly around the red gift bag.
A phone rang abruptly in the empty room. He immediately raised his hand to look at the screen, but when he saw that the caller was not her, his expression dimmed.
Old Master Qin: “Little He, everyone from the Qin family is already here. Why haven’t you come over yet?”
Qin Yuhe: “Grandpa, I want to ask you something. Did you see my wife today?”
Old Master Qin: “No.”
Qin Yuhe: “I understand.”
After hanging up, Qin Yuhe opened the safe and took out the gift Song Xinya had made for him herself—the birthday present she had given him when she went to New York to celebrate his birthday with him.
A preserved red maple leaf.
He placed the maple leaf specimen inside the gift bag, gripped it tightly, and headed downstairs.
A Rolls-Royce was parked in front of the gates to the Qin family’s old residence.
In the dead of winter, the man in the black coat walked through the ice and snow, the red gift bag in his hand dazzlingly bright.
Pure black and striking red—one bright, one dark; one rich, one subdued. The two sharply contrasting colors collided, creating an intense visual impact and a beauty born of their stark contrast.
Qin Yuhe stepped through the gates of the Qin family residence.
Red couplets covered the corridor pillars. Red lanterns hung throughout the courtyard at varying heights. The lantern light reflected off the white snow, red silk ribbons swayed in the wind, and red paper blessings could be seen everywhere.
The enormous courtyard was decorated in brilliant red, radiating the festive spirit of the New Year.
Everyone from the Qin family had returned. They were all dressed in elegant finery, their bearing and manner unmistakably distinguished.
They exchanged New Year’s greetings and chatted with one another, their faces bright with happiness.
The moment they saw Qin Yuhe approaching, everyone hurried over to offer him their congratulations.
Qin Yuhe swept his cold gaze over them. “Where is Qin Hanxiao?”
Everyone was stunned.
They all knew that Qin Yuhe and Qin Hanxiao, father and son, had never gotten along. But in front of the family—especially during an important holiday like the New Year—Qin Yuhe would usually show Qin Hanxiao some consideration. At the very least, he would maintain a superficial peace and avoid openly clashing with him.
He had never addressed him so bluntly by name before.
The atmosphere, which had been filled with laughter and cheer, froze in an instant.
Sensing danger, Old Master Qin hurried over. “Little He, what do you want with ‘your father’?”
He emphasized the words “your father,” warning Qin Yuhe not to act rashly.
Grinding his teeth, Qin Yuhe said, “I want to see Qin Hanxiao right now.”
Everyone held their breath, not daring to say a word.
Old Master Qin said, “Little He, come to the ancestral hall. We’ll go to the ancestral hall together.”
The ancestors of the Qin family were all enshrined in the ancestral hall. Old Master Qin thought that once they were there, Qin Yuhe would not do anything too extreme.
He took Qin Yuhe to the ancestral hall and instructed the butler to notify Qin Hanxiao to come as soon as possible.
After a while, Qin Hanxiao arrived leisurely, accompanied by a young and beautiful woman.
The moment everyone saw the woman’s face, they were stunned.
She looked so much like…
With both hands clasped behind his back, Qin Hanxiao entered the ancestral hall. “You’ve never seemed particularly fond of me, your father. Yet the moment you came home today, you insisted on seeing me. Have you finally developed a conscience and decided to show your old man some filial respect?”
Qin Yuhe turned to look at him, a sharp chill gathering in his eyes. “What did you say to my wife today?”
Qin Hanxiao replied, “You’re such a smart man. Haven’t you already figured out what I said to her?”
Qin Yuhe said, “When I was young, you neither cared about me nor spent a single birthday with me. You never attended one parent-teacher meeting, and you were absent from every important moment of my life. Now that I’m grown, what right do you have to interfere in my life?”
Qin Hanxiao snapped, “The right that I’m your father—the right that I brought you into this world! That gives me every right!”
“It’s just a woman. Is she really worth getting this angry with your own father?”
“Besides, she’s a woman who can’t have children!”
“A man marries a woman so she can bear him children. What use is there in marrying a woman who can’t have children? You should divorce her while you still can!”
Qin Hanxiao pointed at the young, beautiful woman beside him. “Don’t you like women like Song Xinya? She not only looks like Song Xinya, but also comes from a distinguished family—and she can have children. Divorce Song Xinya and marry her instead. It would be the best of both worlds, and you wouldn’t have any regrets in life.”
Pleased with the supposedly perfect solution he had come up with, he wore a smug expression.
No matter how he looked at it, he had found Qin Yuhe a better choice.
In front of every member of the Qin family, Qin Yuhe said, “All I want is Song Xinya. The only person I want is Song Xinya!”
Qin Hanxiao said, “Impossible! As the head of the Qin family, you cannot leave the family without an heir!”
Qin Yuhe curved his lips into a smile. “Then I simply won’t be the head of the family.”
Everyone stood frozen in shock.
Qin Hanxiao shouted, “You’re willing to leave the family without an heir for the sake of a woman? You’re willing to give up your position as head of the family for a woman? You’re betraying your ancestors! You’re betraying the entire Qin family!”
Qin Yuhe replied, “So what if I betray the entire family? I choose Song Xinya!”
“In this entire world, I choose only Song Xinya.”
………
This chapter didn’t include President Qin confessing his feelings to Yaya, but it will definitely happen in the next chapter~~~
