Hearing this, Qin Qinghan breathed a sigh of relief but also felt deeply ashamed. Today, she had been so focused on work that she completely forgot that Night Fengwu and Jiang Hao hadn't even eaten lunch.
"I'm sorry. I'll make dinner right away," Qin Qinghan apologized hastily, rushing into the kitchen. Soon, the sound of chopping vegetables could be heard.
At this moment, Jing Si walked over to Night Fengwu. Despite her young age, she could clearly sense the kindness of this "uncle" toward her. Moreover, he was so strong and capable.
The little girl looked at him with a hint of admiration and asked, "Uncle, are you sleeping on the sofa again tonight?"
Seeing Jing Si approach, Night Fengwu immediately extinguished the cigarette he had just taken two puffs of. He put on a slightly bitter smile and replied, "That depends on whether your mom shows me some mercy."
Jing Si bit her lip lightly and said sweetly, "I can plead for you with Mom, but don't get your hopes up too high, okay?"
Hearing that Jing Si was willing to speak up for him, Night Fengwu's heart warmed. He was about to pick her up and place her on his lap when the little girl giggled and darted away.
"Uncle, you smell bad! I'm going to do my homework now," she said as she ran into her bedroom.
Night Fengwu raised his arm to take a sniff, immediately wrinkled his nose, and muttered to himself, "I should've asked Lin Qiang to bring me a few more sets of camouflage clothes." He hadn't bathed in two days, and his clothes hadn't been changed either.
...
In the Qin family villa's living room, Qin Guangnan was leisurely sipping tea on the sofa.
Suddenly, Qin Fei came rushing in, his face full of disbelief. "Dad, Qin Qinghan actually closed a deal with Fenghao Engineering!"
Hearing this, Qin Guangnan was stunned for a moment, furrowing his brows. "Are you sure?"
Based on Qin Guangnan's understanding of Fenghao Real Estate, the people in that business, with their frequent dealings in the underground world, were notoriously hard to work with. Although the Qin family held some status in Haihua City, Fenghao Real Estate shouldn't have taken a liking to them.
Qin Fei snorted coldly, "It's probably because Qin Qinghan traded her body. After all, with her looks, there's no way Jin Bao would have let her off so easily."
Qin Guangnan nodded in agreement and sneered, "Hmph, I didn't think that Qinghan's 'tarnished' state could still be of some use. Since the project has been secured, tomorrow, you'll take over all the projects from her."
Hearing this, Qin Fei grinned sinisterly. "So, does Dad intend to fire Qin Qinghan outright? That way, when she's left with no options, she'll beg you to marry her off to Zhang Ge."
"But what reason do we have to sideline her, considering she brought in the Fenghao Engineering deal?"
Qin Guangnan smirked. "Our Qin family will never accept a convict as a son-in-law. So, either she gets engaged to Zhang Ge, or she can go back to her convict husband."
Hearing this, Qin Fei gave his father a thumbs-up, his expression full of malice.
...
The next morning, Night Fengwu was still sleeping on the narrow sofa. A faint sound of footsteps woke him up.
Opening his eyes, he saw Qin Qinghan standing before him in her white sleepwear.
Noticing he had awakened, Qin Qinghan apologized, "I'm sorry for waking you up."
Qin Qinghan maintained a certain level of vigilance and distance toward Night Fengwu, which made him feel uncomfortable. Her attitude toward him was always like that of an enemy.
But Night Fengwu still smiled and replied, "It's fine. I'm not one to sleep in anyway."
As he spoke, he glanced at the narrow, old sofa beneath him. It wasn't exactly a place that encouraged oversleeping.
Qin Qinghan suddenly extended her hand, holding out several bills. Her tone was complicated as she said, "Here's 500 yuan. Use it to buy yourself some clothes. When I get my commission, I'll give you more."
Qin Qinghan knew that, despite having friends like Jiang Hao, Night Fengwu had just gotten out of prison and was likely penniless. Even the camouflage clothes he wore hadn't been changed for days.
Night Fengwu almost wanted to say he had money, but instead, he reached out, took the 500 yuan, and grinned. "Thanks, wife!"
This was the first time his wife had given him money—it had to be saved for sentimental value.
After breakfast, Qin Qinghan entrusted her parents with watching over Jing Si before preparing to leave. She had a busy day ahead, with many plans to finalize.
"Wife, come back early. You promised we'd get our marriage certificate today," Night Fengwu called out after her.
Hearing his words as she stepped out the door, Qin Qinghan stumbled, nearly tripping over the threshold.
Today, Qin Qinghan had dressed up deliberately. She had drawn her eyebrows and applied a bit of lipstick, making her already stunningly beautiful face even more radiant.
Her grandfather and uncle had always marginalized her, but after securing the Fenghao Engineering project with Night Fengwu's help, their attitudes would surely change—right?
...
Half an hour later, Qin Qinghan arrived at the Qin Group's office building. As soon as she approached the reception desk, Qin Fei stopped her.
Seeing this, Qin Qinghan handed the signed contract to Qin Fei and said, "Uncle, this is the contract between the Qin Group and Fenghao Engineering. I need to organize a meeting and bring some executives to the Fenghao project department today."
Taking the contract, Qin Fei responded flatly, "Since the contract is signed, you have two options: kick out that convict from your house and get engaged to Mr. Zhang, or pack your things and go home to live with your convict."
Thud!
At that moment, a security guard tossed a box of Qin Qinghan's belongings onto the floor.
Qin Qinghan immediately understood. Qin Fei was using her as a tool and then discarding her after she took the risk to finalize the contract.
"Uncle, you… How can you…" Even with her usual calm demeanor, Qin Qinghan was furious at the Qin family's actions.
Qin Fei coldly retorted, "Qin Qinghan, it's for your own good. Giving up Jing Si is better than spending your life with a convict."
Hearing this, Qin Qinghan's eyes filled with mockery. No matter how much she contributed to the company, they never truly valued her.
To them, she was nothing more than a tool to further the Qin family's interests.
Night Fengwu might be a convict and a person she disliked from the underground world, but at least he cared deeply for Jing Si. Marrying Zhang Ge would mean abandoning her daughter.
For her, there was only one choice.
Without further argument, Qin Qinghan picked up the box and walked out of the Qin Group office building decisively.
Her clarity and determination made Qin Fei frown. His tone turned vicious as he muttered, "My son's legs were crippled because of you people. I won't rest until I destroy your entire family."