To the Qin family, Qin Jiang's decision to cut ties seemed like a result of mental distress from his experiences. After all, no man who went to appease Yan Liang had ever returned alive, so Qin Jiang's safe return must have been a blow to his psyche.
They might choose to overlook it for now.
Eldest sister Qin Moxuan stepped forward, her brows furrowed as she tried to suppress her disdain for Qin Jiang. She spoke to him sternly:
"Qin Jiang, I understand how you feel right now. Serving that monster Yan Liang and being humiliated and imprisoned by her must have been terrible. Wanting to distance yourself from our family to protect us from her revenge makes sense."
"But that doesn't give you the right to slap A-Yun. We can agree to your request to separate your household registration."
"But you must return the honors and prize money from the Beijing University tech competition to A-Yun!"
"And you need to bow to A-Yun and apologize sincerely, and provide blood transfusions for him tonight!"
"Otherwise, don't blame us for taking drastic measures."
As the eldest sister, Qin Moxuan had absolute authority in the Qin family. Her reputation as a successful businesswoman in the finance world showed her sharp intellect and iron-fisted approach.
Her willingness to negotiate with Qin Jiang was a gesture of familial loyalty, despite the difficult circumstances.
Qin Jiang, however, was clearly unimpressed.
Listening to Qin Moxuan's self-righteous speech, he almost laughed out loud.
"Ha! The tech competition results were the result of my own hard work over many sleepless nights. How dare Qin Yun think he deserves the credit?"
"And Yan Liang is not a monster; she's my wife. If you dare to insult her again, don't blame me for being rude!"
Qin Jiang's expression hardened.
Facing the Qin family, he felt a surge of hatred, but he wouldn't act impulsively.
The real torment would be to take away what they valued most, destroy their beliefs, and crush their spirit—that would be truly devastating.
He planned to orchestrate this revenge personally.
"Qin Jiang, the eldest sister is trying to help you, so don't be ungrateful!"
Fourth sister Qin Shuyun was even more convinced that Qin Jiang had lost his mind.
In the past, Qin Jiang would have been trying to please his sisters, moving between them with a flattering demeanor, showing concern and respect.
He had never dared to defy them before.
Now, the atmosphere was frozen solid.
Qin Yun, hoping for Qin Jiang's blood, tried to mediate with a weak and magnanimous tone:
"Qin Jiang, it's okay. Just consider the research results as your own. I won't compete with you for the honor since you're suffering on my behalf. I'm sorry…"
But Qin Yun's teary eyes still struck a chord with those present.
Qin Yun, as the younger brother, was magnanimously giving up his claim, showing his patience and humility.
Qin Jiang, as the older brother, appeared petty and relentless in his demands.
It was clear which of them had the better character and broader perspective.
"Whether you married into the Yan family or not, stealing honor is stealing honor. They're not the same thing."
"Qin Jiang, you promised our family you'd marry into the Yan family to bring good fortune to A-Yun. A-Yun was too ill to participate in those talks, yet you're trying to blame him and take away his honors and prize money. How shameless!"
Qin Father came downstairs, clearly displeased with Qin Jiang.
His face was tense with anger, as if ready to erupt.
Qin Jiang had always faced punishment from the family, and today, he was in for another dose of it.
Seeing that the main person for household registration had arrived, Qin Jiang sneered:
"Speaking of shamelessness, shouldn't I be calling you 'Ancestor'?"
"Enough with your drama. My time is valuable; I need to get back to make soup for my wife. Can you take responsibility for wasting my time?"
Qin Jiang spoke impatiently.
He had completely lost patience with the Qin family.
He tossed the severance agreement in Qin Father's face with a cold stare.
Qin Father had already been observing Qin Jiang's behavior from upstairs.
To him, cutting ties with Qin Jiang was a blessing.
He was a disaster, and now he'd provoked that monster from the Yan family.
Perhaps the disaster and monster were just what was needed to end Qin Jiang's misery.
But the Qin family couldn't afford to be dragged down by Qin Jiang's misfortune.
Four years ago, when Qin Jiang returned to the Qin family, his adoptive parents had disappeared under mysterious circumstances, leaving him with a solitary household registration.
Qin Father felt that bringing Qin Jiang's registration back to the Qin family was too ominous, so he never did it.
Now it saved him the trouble of moving the registration.
"Ah Jiang, I'm not unreasonable. You can take your household registration, but you must return A-Yun's things first."
"I heard from Chu Chu that the prize money from the Beijing University tech competition has already been transferred to your card. Even though 20,000 yuan isn't a huge amount for the Qin family, it's still your brother's, and you need to return it to him."
Qin Father made it clear.
Qin Jiang had only guessed that his household registration hadn't been merged with the Qin family, but now that guess was confirmed.
Fine by him—he didn't care to be on the same registration as anyone in the Qin family.
Eldest sister Qin Moxuan looked at her father in disbelief.
"Dad, Qin Jiang's registration has never been moved back to the Qin family?"
"It's been four years—why hasn't it been done? Is it because his adoptive parents stopped it, or is there some hidden reason?"
Qin Moxuan couldn't understand. Even though she despised Qin Jiang, she had long accepted him as her brother. But Dad's refusal to move his registration back clearly showed he never treated Qin Jiang as his own son.
It was disheartening.
"He's a disaster!"
"His adoptive parents abandoned him, and we've already done more than enough by providing him with food and shelter."
Qin Father said dismissively, dropping his previous pretense of kindness towards Qin Jiang.
Qin Moxuan was at a loss for words, but she held back her doubts.
Even if Qin Jiang was now being "driven away," there was probably some reason behind it. After spending over a decade in the lower tiers of society, he had learned to lie, steal, and now, claim credit for others' work.
He definitely needed to learn a lesson.
Qin Jiang stood there with a calm expression. Only when his adoptive parents were mentioned did a trace of anger flash in his eyes.
His adoptive parents hadn't abandoned him.
They had learned he was the lost son of a prominent Beijing family and couldn't bear to see him live a life of poverty with them. So they deliberately went missing to keep him from finding them...
And the two sisters and a younger sister—who were also missing!
In this life, he was determined to find them all.
He had seen through the nature of familial bonds and realized that biological ties were not necessarily stronger than adopted ones.
His adoptive parents had treated him like their own child and given him their all. He wanted to find them, provide for them in their old age, and reunite with his sisters.
"I've already spent that 20,000 yuan."
"That was my hard-earned money and has nothing to do with you. Don't try to shift the blame by demanding I return the money or accusing me of stealing Qin Yun's honor.
You've played these tricks too many times and taken too much of what should have been mine.
From now on, I won't be serving you!"
"If you're not willing to give me my household registration, don't blame me for being unkind."
"Moxuan! Moxue! Come out here."
Qin Jiang knew that Yan Liang would never let him leave easily and that he'd be watched by bodyguards.
Moxuan and Moxue were the top bodyguards of the Yan family and Yan Liang's trusted aides.
Moxuan and Moxue: ??
They were among the best bodyguards in the world. How could Qin Jiang possibly have detected their presence around him?
The eldest lady only asked them to keep an eye on Qin Jiang, not to act as enforcers.
That would be a different price!
So the two decided to stay still until provoked.
Seeing he couldn't afford these two brothers, Qin Jiang lazily stretched:
"Oh, lately, serving President Liang has been so exhausting, my back aches and I'm trembling while walking…"
"If some people don't behave, maybe tonight I'll work even harder and try a little coercion?"
Moxuan and Moxue: This Qin Jiang is outrageous!!
Suddenly, the imposing figures of Moxuan and Moxue appeared in the Qin family's living room.
Both were dressed in the Yan family's standard black suits, exuding a fierce aura.
"Son-in-law, what's your command?"
Pleased with their obedience, Qin Jiang smirked:
"Smash this place! Leave no trace!"