Cheng Jing merely glanced at the approaching Qi Feixue, his eyes devoid of any emotion, and continued pushing Qi Huan's wheelchair toward the house in the backyard.
Qi Feixue followed them.
Qi Huan said, "Of course. Otherwise, who else would be the heir to the Qi family? Qi Yue?"
Qi Feixue knew he was asking despite knowing the answer, and she didn't mind being blunt. "Of course it isn't your useless younger brother, Qi Yue. It's my younger brother, Qi Feixiong."
The wheelchair rolled over the gravel path, making a rhythmic crunching sound.
Qi Huan tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest. Hearing this, he gave a soft chuckle and said, "Your brother is better suited to be banished to Africa."
The word 'banished' was truly unpleasant to the ear, making Qi Feixue even more displeased. "Brother Huan, you can only run your mouth now. What else can you actually do? You can't even walk; you still need your assistant to push you around."
Qi Huan replied, "Managing a company requires a brain, not legs."
As Qi Feixue admired the beautiful gardens of the old estate, she said, "Maybe it wouldn't be a problem for other ordinary wealthy families to have a cripple as their heir. But our Qi family is the greatest aristocratic family in the capital circle. Our every word and deed is closely watched. Do you really think pushing a cripple to inherit the Qi family won't make us the laughingstock of our circle?"
"Grandpa is someone who cares deeply about the family's reputation. If he truly didn't mind the fact that your legs are crippled, he wouldn't have avoided directly announcing you as the heir at your engagement banquet with Jiang Youli. Instead, he left a three-month buffer."
While passing over an arched bridge spanning a man-made stream, Qi Feixue curled her lips into a smile and continued, "Brother Huan, you don't really think Grandpa delaying the announcement of the heir for three months is actually to wait for Jiang Youli to cure your legs, do you? Grandpa is actually giving the other brothers time to prove they can replace you."
Qi Huan remained silent for a moment. It wasn't until they descended the arched bridge that he suddenly said, "You only mentioned Grandpa giving the other brothers time to replace me. Have you never thought about replacing me yourself?"
Not expecting Qi Huan to suddenly say this, Qi Feixue was actually caught off guard by the question.
She truly had never thought about it.
She was a woman. Why should she fight for power?
Recovering her wits, Qi Feixue steadied her mind. "Brother Huan, you don't actually think saying this will provoke my brother and me into turning against each other, do you?"
Qi Huan sighed, feigning helplessness, before saying, "I'm just genuinely curious. After all, I just came back from the Jiang family, where I witnessed with my own eyes my fiancee, Little Li'er, successfully take over the Jiang family."
Seeing Qi Feixue frown, he continued, "If you feel that as a woman, you have no right to vie for power and influence, then I can tell you that Old Master Jiang directly stated in front of me today that from now on, he is handing the Jiang family over to Little Li'er. If Little Li'er can take over, why can't you?"
Qi Huan spoke lightly, but his words stirred up significant ripples in Qi Feixue's heart.
In the education she received growing up, no one ever told her that she could fight for the family's massive fortune.
She had grown up living a life of luxury; what was there to be dissatisfied with?
But if she could truly grasp that kind of power, why wouldn't she want to?
Qi Feixue said warily, "You're telling me this because you think I have a better chance of becoming the Qi family heir than my brother."
Qi Huan looked up and smiled at her. "No, I'm telling you this because I want to drive a wedge between you and your brother Qi Feixiong, making you siblings turn against each other."
Cheng Jing couldn't help but choke a little, letting out a cough.
Qi Feixue's face visibly flushed red. "It seems Brother Huan truly feels he has nothing to worry about, to still have the mood to joke with me."
Qi Huan gave a soft laugh and said, "Little Li'er has the capability, which is why she could take over the Jiang family. But you can't. You are only suited to be a stepping stone for your brother, waiting for him to toss you some scraps from his own gains just to humor you."
To Qi Feixue's ears, these words were exceptionally harsh and unpleasant.
"Brother Huan, don't waste your breath. I won't be provoked by you. My brother and I have always had a great relationship," Qi Feixue forced a smile, trying her best to suppress the anger in her heart.
Qi Huan let out an "Oh" and said, "Is that so? Well then, my buildup is sufficient."
"What?" Qi Feixue asked in confusion.
Qi Huan dropped his smile and said plainly, "I can tie you up now."
Before Qi Feixue could react, a silver needle shot out from the armrest of Qi Huan's wheelchair straight into her neck.
Qi Feixue only felt a sharp sting on her neck. Before she could make a move, a wave of dizziness washed over her.
Swaying unsteadily, she collapsed weakly onto the ground, her heavy eyelids gazing up at Qi Huan, who was looking down at her from above.
"Qi Huan, you actually dare to kidnap me... We are at the old estate... Aren't... aren't you afraid Grandpa will find out..."
Qi Huan's gaze was calm and tranquil. "I forgot to tell you. The reason Grandpa is waiting three months to officially announce the heir is also to give me enough time to clear out all the risks around me."
"Since you delivered yourself right to my doorstep, it saves me the trouble of sending someone to capture you."
Hearing these words, Qi Feixue's pupils suddenly widened.
However, unable to hold on any longer, she completely lost consciousness.
Qi Huan stroked a switch on his armrest, his eyes full of appreciation. Yes, the hidden mechanism Little Li'er had installed on his wheelchair was indeed very useful.
"Lock her up," Qi Huan ordered. After he spoke, Cheng Jing continued pushing the wheelchair forward.
At that moment, a bodyguard from the old estate walked out, bent down, hoisted the unconscious Qi Feixue from the gravel path over his shoulder, and left through the side door of the estate.
Upon returning to the house, Qi Huan instructed, "Cheng Jing, arrange for someone to wait at the main gate. When Qi Tianxiang returns, beat him up. Beat him to the point where he needs to be hospitalized. I don't want to see him."
Cheng Jing replied, "Understood."
He had long despised Qi Tianxiang. If it weren't for the fact that Qi Tianxiang was the Young Master's father, he would have secretly found someone to beat him up himself.
...
Qi Feixue's driver, Lao Liao, dropped Qi Tianxiang and Qi Yu off at their destination and left.
Qi Tianxiang led Qi Yu to the apartment arranged by Qi Feixue and opened the door with the key she had given him.
The apartment wasn't large; the interior space was only about forty square meters.
Qi Yu frowned, quite dissatisfied with the apartment. "This place is way too small."
She had previously lived in the Qi family's old estate for three years, and the environment there was vastly superior to this. It was as grand and tasteful as an ancient prince's mansion!
Closing the door, Qi Yu immediately looked up and eagerly asked her father, Qi Tianxiang, "Dad, I can still go back and live at the old estate, right?"
Qi Tianxiang patted her head, sighed, and said, "The most urgent task right now is to find your brother first. My biggest fear is that your brother is in Qi Huan's hands. The situation in the Qi family is a mess right now. We can let the other members of the Qi family fight it out with Qi Huan first. Once both sides are heavily damaged, we'll let your brother swoop in and reap the rewards."
"So you'll just have to endure this hardship for a while. Qi Feixue's willingness to help us is nothing more than her wanting to use us against Qi Huan. For these three months, whatever Qi Feixue asks you to do, just obediently do it. In short, as long as it deals with Qi Huan, it's not a loss for us."
Qi Yu nodded. "Dad, I understand. Before returning to the Qi family, I endured so much out there for so long. I can definitely hold out for another three months."
Qi Tianxiang was very satisfied. "Good kid."
...
After getting Qi Yu settled, Qi Tianxiang took a taxi back to the Qi family's old estate.
He had no other choice. Even the car he used to drive was now under Qi Huan's control. Nowadays, he had to rely on taxis just to get around.
The more Qi Tianxiang thought about it, the more resentful he felt. To think that a father could be mistreated like this by his own son!
When he got back, he was going to give Qi Huan another severe scolding to vent his frustration!
Arriving back at the old estate, Qi Tianxiang had barely stepped through the main gate when two bodyguards suddenly stepped forward and blocked his path.
