Chapter 75: No Need, I Can Handle It

Tang Jinnan heard the sound of the engine shutting off. Without hesitation, he pulled out the network card, got up swiftly, and walked out.

On the other side of the computer: “?”

“?”

“Where did you go? Did you disconnect? I’ll wait for you then.”

As soon as Tang Jinnan stepped outside, he saw Qin Hongfei’s figure turned away from him. She must have been traveling in a hurry; her face was smeared with a bit of dust, yet her eyes sparkled with joy, unable to hide her delight. He resisted the urge to help her wipe her face, lowered his gaze, and said, “Qin Yun came and took your mother and sister away.”

Qin Hongfei paused, quickly piecing things together. “Was it my grandmother who called them over?”

Tang Jinnan nodded slightly. He could have intervened, but he had no grounds to do so. Still, if Qin Hongfei needed help, he certainly had ways to assist her—for the sake of his friend Qin Yan’s younger sister.

Yet, Qin Hongfei showed no intention of seeking help. She could already guess why her grandmother had summoned her mother and sister. It could only be about one thing—something to do with the computer. Thinking back to running into Mrs. Li at the electronics market, remembering her friendship with the Fifth Branch, Qin Hongfei quickly connected the dots. Opening an internet café wasn’t a trivial matter and couldn’t be kept secret.

“It’s fine. I’ll go and see what’s going on,” Qin Hongfei said.

“I’ll go with you,” Xia Shangxu offered, not caring about the car full of parts he’d left behind.

Qin Hongfei wanted to refuse, but it was obvious Xia Shangxu saw her as a child and wouldn’t feel at ease letting her go alone. Suddenly, a gentle and calm voice sounded in her ear, “Qin Yan’s little sister, do you need any help?”

Tang Jinnan had been about to call her by name, but realized they weren’t close enough. Calling her ‘Miss Qin’ seemed too formal for a fifteen-year-old, so he simply used the title of ‘friend’s little sister.’

Without hesitation, Qin Hongfei replied, “No need, I can handle it.” In her view, this didn’t even count as trouble.

Hearing this, Tang Jinnan nodded. He agreed—if she was Qin Yan’s sister and that skilled, she surely could handle something like this.

…

They soon arrived at the old Qin family home. As soon as they walked in, they saw Qin Hongfei’s mother and older sister sitting with their heads bowed, silent, while Mrs. Qin raged in anger. The rest of the family sat watching from the sidelines.

Xia Shangxu could tolerate being looked down upon himself, but seeing his cousin berated in front of so many people was too much for him. He clenched his fists, ready to speak, but Qin Hongfei grabbed his hand, “Uncle, don’t say anything for now.”

Xia Shangxu wanted to ask why, but Qin Hongfei was already striding into the hall. “Grandfather, Grandmother, Second Aunt, Third Aunt, Fourth Aunt…” she greeted them as if unaware of the tense atmosphere, her expression calm as ever.

Qin Yun stared at her, mouth agape. Was she too bold? Everyone was trying to avoid trouble, and she walked right in?

After a moment’s thought, he risked speaking up, “Hongfei, you’re back from visiting relatives?” He frantically signaled with his eyes.

Quick, just say you went to visit relatives!

Whatever you do, don’t admit to going to the electronics market!

Second Uncle Qin was nearly floored. You brat, are you really trying to pull this off in front of your grandparents? This trick was already worn out when your father used it as a child. It doesn’t work anymore, fool!

Qin Hongfei hadn’t expected Qin Yun to be so loyal as to risk speaking up for her. But looking at Mrs. Qin’s stern face, she knew that if she went along with Qin Yun’s story, both of them would be done for in the next second. “I didn’t go to visit relatives; I went to the electronics market. Grandfather, Grandmother, I suppose you already know, or you wouldn’t be so angry.”

Mrs. Qin, seeing that she was at least honest, was slightly mollified and said, though her tone was still harsh, “Then do you know why I’m so angry?”

Of course, Qin Hongfei knew. When internet cafés first appeared, adults universally disapproved of them! But she didn’t answer that directly. Instead, she said, “Grandmother, you remember what I said before—about repaying the Qin family’s debts myself. Opening the internet café was my idea. My mother and sister aren’t clever enough for something like this; you shouldn’t blame them.”

Qin Hongfei’s mother: “…”

Qin Hongfei’s sister: “…”