Chapter 51 — Choices

Since the “secret” was already out, trying to stop it from spreading would only prove futile. The culprit was either the Wang family or the Qin family, though it didn’t matter which. If the Su family tried to block the news, the culprit would undoubtedly use it to threaten Qin Jiran, or even Su Yanyi. Therefore, it would be wiser for the Su family to help spread the news instead. That way, they would gain the advantage of controlling what the public would see and whose side they would feel more inclined to take.

Su Yanyi couldn’t fall back asleep, so she tidied up her bed and went to Qin Jiran’s bedroom. However, the bed was empty. Looking at the time, it was only five in the morning. Don’t tell her he was awake already?

She went downstairs to look for him, but he wasn’t in the living room or the kitchen. That was when she remembered that the System had a tracking function.

After a few seconds, the System responded.

Mr. Qin is doing morning exercises in the yard.

When she arrived, she saw him shadowboxing. Although she couldn’t tell what style of boxing he was practicing, it was obvious that his powerful moves weren’t just for show.

Su Yanyi’s eyes shone, and she suddenly felt an itch to join him. As the sole daughter of the Su family, she had grown up taking classes on fighting and outdoor survival. She was strong. Although those skills rarely came in handy, seeing the man in front of her train kindled her fighting spirit. She wanted to spar.

So she did.

Without so much as a warning, she shot forward, clenching her delicate hand into a fist and sent a hard punch in his direction. By the time Qin Jiran heard her, it was already too late. He tried to dodge, but the blow still managed to land, clipping his shoulder. She had been by no means gentle, causing him to stagger from the impact.

He recovered quickly and backed away just in time to avoid her ensuing attack, but he didn’t fight back and ended up irritating Su Yanyi.

“Fight back, or I’ll beat you up!” she shouted at him, disgruntled as her fists lashed out faster than before. She was using her actions to show him that she was being serious.

As he took in this new and unexpected side of her, a wry smile appeared on his face. Although he wouldn’t mind getting beat up by her, he knew that what she wanted was a spar. Therefore, he could only brace himself and return her blows.

Qin Jiran’s attacks were strong and simple, while Su Yanyi’s were swift, sharp, and merciless. They were both well-trained, but their techniques differed. Unlike the frank and forthright nature of Qin Jiran’s attacks, Su Yanyi’s style was more lethal.

Practicality was the core of her fighting style. As a matter of fact, some of her moves were taught to her by famous hitmen from the underworld1. The Su family’s conditions were as such. In contrast, Qin Jiran suffered quite a bit, especially since his fighting style relied on physical strength, and he couldn’t bear to actually attack her. Naturally, he fell to a disadvantageous position.

After a few more punches, Su Yanyi’s hands began to throb with pain. It had been too long since her last spar, and she’d put too much force into her punches, so the rebound was catching up to her. As a result, she had to lessen the strength behind her punches.

Immediately, Qin Jiran noticed, and he felt his heart ache a little when he saw the light sheen of sweat on her forehead. He twisted his body to block her next punch and at the same time, stopped her assault.

“Yanyi, let’s rest for a bit. We should go in and have breakfast now.” Of course, he didn’t tell her that she should rest because she was obviously tired. That would only result in him receiving a few more punches.

Su Yanyi yielded, and that was when she suddenly remembered her purpose for coming to find him.

“I came here to ask you something,” she said, her face gleaming with light sweat.

“What is it?” The expression on her face caused him to feel a bit apprehensive.

“Do you know of the Qin family? Along with our Su family, the Wang family, and the Bai family, the Qin family is one of the four great families in City A.”

The title “four great families” was not to be taken lightly. It could be said that the four great families made up the sky of City A. There was virtually no one who didn’t know of them.

Instantly, silence fell, and Qin Jiran’s expression changed. Su Yanyi didn’t try to urge him, but his reaction alone told her that he did indeed know something.

“I would’ve forgotten if you hadn’t mentioned them. You know about… that matter?”

Obviously, he knew about the Qin family. How could he not? He just didn’t want anything to do with them and thus placed them at the very back of his mind. However, since Yanyi had brought it up, he couldn’t continue to feign obliviousness.

“So you know about it too. Now, I wonder if the Qin family also knows.” She was not surprised by his response, which more or less served as an acknowledgment. His surname was “Qin,” after all.

“They do. They were the ones who put me in the orphanage. I’m sorry for not telling you about this sooner, Yanyi. I just didn’t think it was necessary, and I really don’t want to have anything to do with that family,” he explained, somewhat worried. He didn’t know why she suddenly brought them up or how she figured out his relationship with them, but it didn’t change the fact that he had kept his birth from her. Now, he wasn’t sure if she would be mad or not.

She glanced at him and didn’t say anything in response to his apology. Their distance relationship in the past had made it unnecessary for him to tell her about his connection to the Qin family. Even now, although their relationship had improved, it wasn’t something he needed to tell her. Therefore, she wasn’t angry at all.

“I don’t know if it’s the Wang family or the Qin family that wants to expose your relationship with the latter, but it has reached some headlines. My plan is to help the news spread rather than block it, but if you don’t want it to spread, then I will try my best to block it.” Su Yanyi understood her position and intentions very clearly and waited for his response.

His expression became cold, very cold, and there was even a hint of pressure being exerted from his body.

“The Qin family wouldn’t. Qin Zhenyi attaches the most importance to his reputation, and my existence is his greatest bane. He would never try to publicize my relationship with the Qin family.  In other words, this was most likely the doing of the Wang family, though I’m not sure what they’re hoping to get out of this.”

Qin Jiran understood his identity better than anyone else. As a child born out of wedlock, he was a stain on Qin Zhenyi’s conservative reputation. The man wouldn’t want the public to know of his past infidelity.

“Qin Zhenyi isn’t the only member of the Qin family, otherwise the Wang family wouldn’t have learned about this. But right now, the most important thing is your opinion. Do you want to block the news from spreading, or do you want to use our own channels to spread the news first? You should understand the pros and cons of both,” she said, her reasonable considerations serving to gradually calm him down.

VIN: The countdown was heavily delayed, sorry guys. Anyway, right now it’s at 8.

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