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Qin Jiang arranged two adjacent guest rooms for Cheng Qiuyi and Liu Shuhan. After Liu Shuhan went upstairs, she did not return to her own room but entered Cheng Qiuyi's bedroom instead.
"Go ahead," Liu Shuhan said, sitting on the edge of the bed with her legs crossed, arms crossed over her chest, looking quite imposing.
"What should I say?" Cheng Qiuyi responded, sitting beside Liu Shuhan and naturally wrapping her arms around her waist.
"Tell me your secrets, Cheng Qiuyi. How many things are there that I don't know about you? Why are you so close to Teacher Qin? Why do you call him Master? And who is Ye Jing?" Liu Shuhan pushed Cheng Qiuyi away and bombarded her with questions.
Cheng Qiuyi leaned against the headboard and thought for a long time before slowly speaking. "Qin Jiang has been my master since I was young.
"He's truly knowledgeable. If it weren't for my mother's life-saving grace towards him, he wouldn't have agreed to teach me personally. Later, when the Cheng family had enemies seeking revenge, my mother was afraid I would be in danger. Since City Z is her family's territory, she sent me here to avoid disaster. To be safe, my master came along as well, officially as a teacher but actually to protect me in secret.
"I just didn't expect him to be my teacher for so many years; with his talents, it's truly an underutilization."
"And Ye Jing?"
"Ye Jing..." Cheng Qiuyi's expression darkened slightly. "Ye Jing's mother was a close friend of my mother. My mother treated her like her own daughter, so she allowed Ye Jing to study with me under my master. She is two months older than me, which makes her my senior sister."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
Liu Shuhan did not believe Cheng Qiuyi's half-truths. Did she think Liu Shuhan was blind all night? With how attentive Ye Jing was towards Cheng Qiuyi, it was hard to believe that there were no ulterior motives involved; only a fool would believe that.
"Cheng Qiuyi, don't think you can fool me. Ye Jing clearly has ulterior motives towards you! And what about what she mentioned from five years ago? You need to clarify what hidden past you have with her today; if you miss anything, I'll only ask you!"
Liu Shuhan rarely stood her ground in front of Cheng Qiuyi, rising to look down at Cheng Qiuyi, pretending to be fierce with a show of claws.
Cheng Qiuyi wrapped her arms around Liu Shuhan's waist, causing her to fall onto her lap. "Shu Han, Ye Jing and I indeed have some history."
Liu Shuhan turned around, hooking her arms around Cheng Qiuyi's neck with an expression that said she already knew.
"Shu Han, if you're in C City, you must have heard of the Cheng Family and should have stopped by the Ye Family, or whatever it's called now; it's now called the Ye Family. Ye Jing is the chairwoman of the Ye Family."
Liu Shuhan had heard the name Ye Family a few times, usually mentioned casually while chatting with coworkers. She only knew that this enterprise was quite large; as an ordinary citizen, she could only see a glimpse of it and follow what others said.
"Are you talking about that Ye Family?" Liu Shuhan swallowed hard. Ye Jing seemed like a difficult person to deal with; she didn't expect her to be so capable.
"That's the one," Cheng Qiuyi nodded. "Although outsiders see the Ye Family as big, the power is actually dispersed among several elders. Five years ago, when Ye Jing just took over the Ye Family, she was merely a puppet. At that time, she wanted to join forces with me to consolidate power within the Ye Family for herself, but I rejected her. She's held a grudge against me ever since."
Liu Shuhan was puzzled. "Why did she have to seek you out?"
"At that time, she was just starting out and being a woman, there seemed to be no one else who could help her except me."
At this point, Liu Shuhan still didn't understand. She had always thought of Cheng Qiuyi as just a wealthy person and never considered how deep the intrigues could be among the rich. Cheng Qiuyi spoke of her relationship with Ye Jing as if it were profound and mysterious. Liu Shuhan felt it couldn't be that complicated but also thought maybe it was her own inability to grasp the intricacies of their rivalry. Not knowing what else to say, she finally replied, "You are all smart people; I'm not very bright and can't comprehend it."
Cheng Qiuyi laughed and leaned back, causing Liu Shuhan to fall onto the big bed with her. With a roll, she pinned Liu Shuhan beneath her and kissed her nose, saying, "We are all self-proclaimed clever ones; you're different, Shu Han. You are wise yet foolish."
Liu Shuhan was angry and pushed Cheng Qiuyi, "Get lost! You're the foolish one!"
Cheng Qiuyi smiled and grabbed Liu Shuhan's hand, "But none of this matters right now. The bed at Master’s place is really soft; we should try it out first..."
Just as Cheng Qiuyi was getting excited about "trying the bed," the butler knocked on the door and said, "Miss Qiu Yi, the master requests your presence for an important matter."
Both Liu Shuhan and Cheng Qiuyi felt a wave of disappointment. Cheng Qiuyi buried her face in Liu Shuhan's neck with a sigh, "Master really has no sense of romance. Doesn’t he know that every moment is worth a thousand gold?"
"Alright, Teacher Qin must have something important to discuss with you. You should go," Liu Shuhan comforted her.
Cheng Qiuyi deliberately licked the back of Liu Shuhan's neck and whispered in her ear, "I'll deal with you when I come back tonight."
After Cheng Qiuyi left, a worried expression appeared on Liu Shuhan's face. Cheng Qiuyi had too many secrets from Liu Shuhan, but she was unwilling to share, and Liu Shuhan didn’t dare to ask. Liu Shuhan felt a bit guilty; if Cheng Qiuyi had fallen for someone of equal capability, they could face more challenges together instead of Liu Shuhan needing to be protected under Cheng Qiuyi's wings.
Qin Jiang was waiting for Cheng Qiuyi in his study. When she entered, he was looking at an album. It was too far away for Cheng Qiuyi to see clearly what photos were inside; all she could tell was that they were old yellowed photographs.
"Master, you called for me?"
Qin Jiang put away the album and nodded, "Sit."
Cheng Qiuyi sat down. Qin Jiang was strict, and Cheng Qiuyi didn’t dare to act recklessly in front of him. She sat up straight, her hands resting lightly on the table.
After examining Cheng Qiuyi for a moment, Qin Jiang finally said, "You don’t look at all like your mother, but your temperament is exactly like hers."
"Unfortunately, she left too early and couldn't see your current achievements."
Cheng Qiuyi self-deprecatingly said, "Master, you flatter me. What achievements do I have now? If my mother were still alive and saw me being so sentimental, she would probably break my legs."
"Back then, she devoted herself to nurturing you with the intention of expanding the Cheng Family. But who would have thought that Cheng Tianhong, that ungrateful wretch, would forget all her efforts? If you had taken over the Cheng Family back then, it could still compete with the Ye Family now. The Cheng Family has been completely ruined by Cheng Tianhong; it's a form of retribution."
"That's all old news. Why bring him up again, Master? If you have something to say, just say it. Our master-disciple relationship has lasted over twenty years; there's no need for formality between us."
Qin Jiang tapped his fingers on the table for a while before carefully saying, "Qiu Yi, now you and A Jing can both stand on your own. I'm very pleased. After more than twenty years of our master-disciple bond, you and A Jing have shared more than twenty years of camaraderie as well. I didn't expect things between you two had escalated to this point."
Cheng Qiuyi had anticipated that Qin Jiang was likely looking for her regarding Ye Jing. The conflict between her and Ye Jing couldn't possibly be hidden from her perceptive master. "People change."
"In the years you were away, A Jing often came to visit me. The person she mentioned most was you. What exactly happened between you two that made you hate her so much?"
Cheng Qiuyi sneered, "She knows how to play the victim first."
Qin Jiang sighed, "I’ve watched you both grow up by my side. I know A Jing's character; she's ruthless and sometimes impulsive in her actions, but her nature isn't bad... Qiu Yi, I'm getting old and won't be able to look after you for many more years. You and A Jing grew up together; if you two could support each other, I could leave this world with my eyes closed."
Cheng Qiuyi remained silent for a long time before saying, "Master, I came to see you this time to ask you not to interfere in my grievances with her." Cheng Qiuyi thought to herself that Ye Jing was truly shameless; clearly, she was the one pushing her buttons but now acted as if she had suffered great injustices. After all, she was the president of the Ye Family; how could she not feel embarrassed behaving like this?
Ye Jing must have calculated that Cheng Qiuyi would find it hard to speak about their past issues, which is why she dared to act so recklessly.
"Has it really come to an irreparable point?" Qin Jiang asked tentatively.
Cheng Qiuyi remained silent, and Qin Jiang understood.
"Enough," Qin Jiang took a sip of tea. "Let's not discuss this for now, but what is going on between you and Liu Shuhan?"
"I've already said, she is my beloved."
"Qiu Yi," Qin Jiang said seriously, "I know the incident with Cheng Tianhong affected you deeply, but you shouldn't just sulk and settle down with a woman for the rest of your life."
Cheng Qiuyi chuckled lightly, "Master, do I really seem like someone who lacks discretion?"
"I liked Shu Han even before Cheng Tianhong's incident. After all these years of calmness, I still like her. What can I do about it?"
"Nonsense!" Qin Jiang slammed his teacup down heavily, his fingers trembling with anger. "You two... you are going against natural law!"
Cheng Qiuyi's expression darkened as he replied unhappily, "What is natural law? Who defines it? Master, I brought Shu Han here to meet you so that you could witness our relationship. If you disapprove of us, then I'll leave."
Qin Jiang picked up the teacup in front of him and set it down again. Finally unable to contain himself, he smashed it onto the floor, shards scattering everywhere. The servants outside heard the commotion and hurriedly called out from the door, "Sir, what happened?"
"Get lost!" Qin Jiang shouted at the door and then pointed at Cheng Qiuyi's nose, saying, "You... very well... After spending a few years abroad, you no longer respect me as your teacher... If you have the guts, get out! Leave through that door; I will never acknowledge you as my disciple again!"
Cheng Qiuyi stood with his hands in his pockets, unafraid as he met Qin Jiang's gaze. "Master, I thought I had found someone to spend my life with; I expected you to bless me."
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