Chapter 013: No wonder my eldest brother once...

Qin Fei had been beaten!

When Mrs. Qin received the news, she nearly lost her mind, her whole body trembling with agitation. "It must have been the fifth branch who sent someone to do this!" she cried, and stormed off to the fifth branch to confront Aunt Xiao.

Qin Hongfei felt there was no way this had anything to do with the fifth branch, and yet, unexpectedly, it did.

"You crazy woman! I haven’t even held you accountable for making my Wanwan a laughingstock in the papers, and now you come barging in here!" Aunt Xiao was so furious she was shaking, reaching out to slap Mrs. Qin.

"Auntie!" Qin Hongfei intercepted her hand, pulling it away. To strike someone from their own main branch in front of her—did she think she was invisible? "Mom, you need to calm down. Right now, the most important thing is to figure out what actually happened," and to find out how badly her sister was injured.

Grandpa and Grandma Qin used their connections to investigate, and the relative they sent returned with news.

Though Qin Fei’s injuries weren’t serious, she had locked herself in her room, refusing to come out, mortified by the humiliation. Furthermore, the minor role she had recently landed might have been lost.

Qin Wanwan, on the other hand, had been caught up in the chaos.

The relative relayed this and shot a reproachful look at Mrs. Qin and Qin Hongfei. "The loan sharks your family owes money to went looking for Wanwan to demand repayment. She was just in the middle of negotiating an advertising deal, and it nearly fell through. Luckily, her agent was quick-witted and called Qin Fei over to deal with the matter..."

"It’s you, you wretched woman—this is all your fault, you’ve ruined my daughter..." Mrs. Qin cursed.

Aunt Xiao was also fuming. "Watch your mouth!"

Qin Hongfei frowned. If this was really the truth, then Qin Wanwan couldn’t be blamed; after all, the debt was owed by the main branch, and her actions were understandable. Still, considering the fifth branch’s elevated status among the relatives due to their children’s success, she remained somewhat skeptical of the account.

"So, is my sister still at the film studio?" Qin Hongfei asked. "How is she?"

"That... I’m not sure," the relative replied.

"And Wanwan? My precious daughter—how is she?" Aunt Xiao asked anxiously.

"Wanwan is fine, don’t worry. She explained everything clearly, and everyone understands her situation. I even vouched for her myself—the loan sharks had nothing to do with Wanwan." The relative spoke with a hint of pride, and received Aunt Xiao’s heartfelt gratitude in return.

Thus, the mother and daughter of the main branch were left out in the cold.

Aunt Xiao cast them a disdainful look. "We don’t welcome lunatics here. You’d better leave. Hongfei, you’re still young. Auntie won’t hold this against you—you can stay."

Mrs. Qin gritted her teeth. "Ye Ru, how dare you try to drive a wedge between me and my daughter!"

Ye Ru looked at her with unconcealed contempt. "You really don’t know what’s good for you. If it weren’t for Wanwan’s constant pleading on your behalf, I’d have lost patience with you long ago. Have you ever stopped to consider what you’ve done all these years? No wonder big brother back then..."

That jab struck Mrs. Qin right where it hurt.

Qin Hongfei’s gaze darkened. "Auntie, I won’t argue about the debt. If our family’s debt brought trouble here, I can accept your anger. But as for what happened to my father, and why my mother is the way she is now—others may not know, but you and Uncle do, better than anyone!"

Aunt Xiao opened her mouth to deny it.

Uncle Xiao pulled her back. "Hongfei, that all happened decades ago..."

Qin Hongfei’s expression was blank. "Uncle, you know as well as I do that ‘decades ago’ doesn’t mean it never happened. No matter how much time passes, it doesn’t erase the fact that my father gave his life for the fifth branch! I won’t stay. My sister’s in trouble, so I need to go see her. We won’t trouble you any longer. Mom, let’s go."