She is the most beautiful rose

Chapter 353 Let Me Make the Choice
When the phone rang at the old house, Qin Yanfeng was on a remote video call at the Tea Sea Villa.

In the dimly lit underground parking garage, a middle-aged man in a three-piece suit stood up awkwardly, then staggered back two steps.

Blood stained the front of his shirt, yet he remained calm, sweeping his venomous gaze across the person before him.

“I know whose people you are.”

He was surrounded by seven or eight tall men dressed in pure black combat uniforms, with only their eyes showing.

A shrewd glint flashed in the man's eyes, and he suddenly smiled maliciously. "Before you kill me, give your boss a message. Tell him to tell his elders back home that no one can escape responsibility for what happened back then, and there's no need to betray them after they've served their purpose. If you insist on a fight to the death, then we'll all be finished!"

The video started to freeze, and the phone suddenly rang. Qin Yanfeng raised his hand, which was resting on the sofa.

He glanced at the incoming call, didn't answer, and instead started a video call.

A man in black in the video walked a little further away and whispered, "Qiu Feng's men are here."

"Let him go, but don't make it too obvious. He won't be in a hurry to see anyone right away, but he'll definitely send word out. Keep a close eye on him."

The man responded, hung up the phone, and walked over there. The video then went black the next second.

Qin Yanfeng then dialed back the phone call he had just made.

The old man told him to go back, with only four words: "Come back."

The living room connects to the long corridor, allowing a draft to sweep through.

Qin Yanfeng remained silent for a long time before replying to Shen Manzhi with the message that he would be staying at the old house that night.

Actually, he had guessed what Shen Manzhi had said that she had been trying to say but couldn't last night.

He also wanted to see her vibrant and unrestrained self, but he was afraid that if he saw her, he wouldn't want so many people to see her beauty.

"Boss, it's ready."

The person on the left stands in the corridor, carrying a gift in their hand.

Qin Yanfeng glanced at it briefly, then stood up and walked outside. "Let's go."

You can't go back to the old house empty-handed.

Although, judging from the old man's tone, this wasn't a chance to catch up.

But etiquette must be observed.

The marriage between the powerful Qin and Huo families was a business alliance with little emotional foundation. Moreover, Qin Demin was at the age of expanding his family business and rarely came home. Ms. Huo had been frail since childhood and suffered from various ailments from traveling from north to south, so the old man personally came to pick him up and take him to the old house.

For a long time, everyone in the Qin family believed that he had been loved by the old man when he was young, so it was only natural that he should understand the meaning of filial piety better than others when he grew up.

Despite ignoring him for more than a decade.

The drive from Tea Sea Villa to Xiaoman Mountain takes nearly an hour. Qin Yanfeng abandoned his plan to go to the tea house, leaned back in his seat, and closed his eyes wearily.

After Huo Minjia passed away, he left the country after the mourning period ended. In the same year, Chang Yu married into the Qin family, bringing with her two-year-old son, Qin Shizheng.

The drama of a mistress taking over a position with her illegitimate child became fodder for gossip, until Chang Yu was referred to as the woman behind Qin Demin.

They said this woman was not only beautiful but also cunning; she sent her son from her first marriage abroad early on to avoid any future troubles.

But in fact, Chang Yu had already decided to go abroad before she married into the Qin family.

Qin Yanfeng returned to China for the first time after coming of age because Qin Shizheng was seriously ill and hospitalized. It was also the first time he learned about those rumors.

When leaving the ward, they ran into Chang Yu, and both of them were stunned.

Chang Yu looked somewhat haggard and thanked him, "Thank you for coming to see A-Zheng."

Qin Yanfeng nodded slightly, and after a moment of silence, he told her about the rumors.

Chang Yu gave him a deep look. "Not explaining is the best thing for you."

Her words stunned Qin Yanfeng.

"Your mother made the right decision to send you abroad before she passed away, but the Qin family must not know that this was your mother's idea, at least not now."

Chang Yu glanced at Qin Shizheng on the hospital bed, her expression somewhat sad. "After all, there is only one noble young master in the Qin family."

At that time, Qin Yanfeng did not understand why the Qin family could not know that Ms. Huo had decided to go abroad long ago.

It wasn't until he gained his own power and became involved in certain matters that he understood the metaphor in Chang Yu's words.

Fearing she would be unable to protect the eleven-year-old child after her death, Huo Minjia had no choice but to send him away from the Qin family.

The reason behind this is a secret that the Qin family cannot reveal, which Huo Minjia had already discovered and wanted to avoid any future troubles.

Qin Yanfeng got out of the car, and a cold wind howled past halfway up the mountain.

Over the years, the old man who would always smile and lead him to the vegetable garden in the backyard could no longer resist the erosion of disease and was confined to a wheelchair.

Before even stepping into the yard, he could see the old man's wheelchair slowly leaving the living room with his back to him.
He stood there for a while; the sky after the snow was especially gloomy and cold.

“Ayan.”

Looking in the direction of the sound, on the second-floor balcony, a handsome man leaned against the railing and pointed to the study next door.

Qin Yanfeng nodded slightly and stepped inside.

The first time I saw this person was when I was about five or six years old. It was also a snowy day. He was playing in the snow in the yard and always felt that someone was watching him. When he looked up, he saw a boy who was a little older than him standing in front of the second-floor window.

Whether it was the cold weather or something else, the boy's face was pale, and even his lips looked as if they were covered with a layer of frost. His bright, clear eyes looked at him without any emotion.

The butler nervously led Xiao Ayan back indoors, feeling that she was more like a noble child raised in the Qin family.

It has become rare since then.

It wasn't until he returned to China that he learned that the man was his uncle, and he recalled what Chang Yu had said to him that year.

The Qin family has only one distinguished young master.

The old man's study always had a somber and oppressive atmosphere. He handed his coat to the servant behind him, knocked on the door, and only went in after receiving permission.

Uncle Ye was also in the study, holding a long, thin wooden box in his hands, his expression one of pity.

Qin Yanfeng withdrew his gaze and stepped forward, "Grandpa."

“You still know I’m your grandfather,” Qin Xianguo said, turning to the side with half his face hidden in the shadows. “You’ve got some skills now.”

The sentence is ambiguous in meaning, but the tone is indifferent.

Qin Yanfeng slightly raised his eyelashes, "It's because Grandpa raised me well."

"I'm training you, not so you can do things you shouldn't."

Qin Yanfeng remained silent for a moment, then said, "I don't understand what you mean."

"don't know?"

Qin Xianguo spun his wheelchair around, his expression cold and stern, and gestured to Uncle Ye standing to the side, "Then beat him until he understands!"

Uncle Ye's expression tightened, and he whispered, "Second Young Master, you should talk to the Master properly."

Qin Yanfeng watched the old man's back to him silently, without saying a word.

"Uncle!"

"Hey, yes."

Uncle Ye sighed and took out a long whip from the wooden box. "Second Young Master, I apologize."

Perhaps because it had been a long time since the family discipline had been used, it wasn't until seven or eight lashes had been delivered that the old man turned around and spoke.

"You went to Hong Kong, and besides handling the acquisition of Li Changshan's company, who did you meet and what did you do? Do you really think I, an old man, don't know?" Qin Yanfeng's clenched fist loosened slightly, a fine sheen of sweat on his forehead, but his gaze remained calm. "What does Grandpa think I did?"

"Qiu Feng from Guangyao Technology Company has gone missing. The company's upper management called me directly, demanding his release. You're currently acting on behalf of the Qin family; if you can't distinguish right from wrong, you shouldn't be here!"

"Grandpa didn't even ask me, he just thought his disappearance was related to me," Qin Yanfeng said in his usual gentle tone, but his face was pale and he looked somewhat listless. "Or is it that you're not surprised that something like this happened?"

He smiled faintly, the pain in his back not causing him to show any discomfort.

"That makes sense. No wonder they were already plotting to kill me at what was just a regular drinking session. Grandpa should know better what happened, right?"

A look of surprise flashed across Qin Xianguo's eyes, and the words he wanted to say seemed to be stuck in his throat.

If it weren't related to the Qin family, why would the other party have acted so preemptively, like a frightened bird?

His expression turned even colder, and his attitude became firm: "This is not something you should interfere with."

They looked at each other and understood each other's meaning through the metaphor.

Qin Yanfeng's expression remained unchanged. "You're just worried that I'll drag the Qin family into this."

"You've already dragged the Qin family into this."

"If what happened back then had nothing to do with the Qin family, what would Grandpa be afraid of?"

"shut up!"

Qin Xianguo's hands, gripping his sides, turned white. He calmed himself and asked, "Are you helping Shen Manzhi investigate what happened back then?"

Qin Yanfeng looked dazed for a moment, then looked at him calmly, "She never told me any of this, but you always put her in a difficult position."

She was forced to choose between love and hatred.

Shen Manzhi wouldn't tell him, lest he put him in a difficult position.

"So let me make the choice."

Qin Xianguo sneered, "Your choice is to use the Qin family as a backer to shield us from harm?"

"Backed by a mountain?"

Qin Xianguo heard a nonchalant reply and saw a faint smile in the young man's reddened eyes. "Managing the company for two years, the project is profitable. I am the most outstanding young man in the Qin family. I am the eldest son who deserved to be sent abroad to live in the financial crisis."

Qin Yanfeng slowly suppressed his smile and said gently, "Does even a chess piece have a backer?"

The old man was stunned for a moment.

Qin Yanfeng lowered his gaze slightly, walked closer, draped a blanket over the old man's legs, and knelt down on one knee. When he got closer, he saw the old man's cloudy, angry eyes.

“You never asked me if I was injured when I was being chased in Hong Kong. The reason you told me to stay away from this matter was just to prevent the Qin family from being involved. Just like when I was a child, you always told me to take care of my body, not to stay in the snow for too long, and not to get hurt... I thought it was out of love, but I didn’t expect it was because I had ‘other uses’ and couldn’t be damaged.”

A cold glint flashed across Qin Xianguo's face, and the veins on his withered hands bulged. "What nonsense are you spouting!"

“I always remembered how good you were to me when I was a child, and how you treated me the same way after I returned to China. I thought the past was the past, but I never imagined that what you need now is an obedient pawn. You think that if you do something wrong, you should be punished, right?”

Qin Xianguo's face was gloomy. He remained silent about the family discipline that had been brought in as soon as he entered. "You took it upon yourself to investigate what happened back then, dragging the Qin family into this mess. And you still dare to say that you did nothing wrong?"

Qin Yanfeng's expression was cold. "So what happened back then was related to the Qin family?"

Because it's related, anyone who comes into contact with that matter, even unintentionally, will become a thorn in the other party's side.

Qin Xianguo was furious and threw the inkstone on the desk at him, while Ye Shu looked on with pity.

"So what if it is, and so what if it isn't? Are you going to go against the entire Qin family for Shen Manzhi's sake?"

Qin Yanfeng's inner shirt was stained with thick black ink. He stood up and took two steps back. Although it was a humble posture, his slightly lowered eyes showed a hint of disdain.

“If the Qin family wasn’t involved back then, then they’re targeting me. My investigation into what happened back then has nothing to do with the Qin family, so Grandpa shouldn’t stop me. But if the Qin family was involved…”

His tone was mild, yet it clearly revealed his indifference.

That half-second pause made the old man's chest heave, and Uncle Ye begged him to stop talking.

Qin Yanfeng toned down his domineering manner, looked at the aging old man, and said softly, "Investigating the events of twenty years ago is not what Shen Manzhi wanted; it's that they don't want to let her go. Just consider me a disobedient pawn. Do with me however you like."

After saying that, he picked up the inkstone from the ground, placed it on the coffee table next to him, and turned to leave.

The white shirt was covered in blood from whip marks, and behind him came the sounds of heavy objects hitting the ground, something being swept to the floor.

However, it doesn't matter anymore.

Qin Yanfeng took the clothes from the maid and went downstairs, where he saw Qin Demin, who had been waiting in the living room for an unknown amount of time with a worried expression.

The latter also noticed his son's unusual expression and the mottled ink stains on his body.

"Ayan, apologize to Grandpa."

“I used to always ask you about my mother,” Qin Yanfeng interrupted him calmly, “You’re talking about adult matters, children shouldn’t concern themselves with them.”

“Now that I’m all grown up, you don’t need to worry about my affairs.”

He went back to his room on the second floor, locked the door, stood there for more than ten minutes, then took off his shirt, went to the locker to take out a pack of cigarettes, and then stopped abruptly when he brought it to his lips.

Next to the cigarette pack were many colorful candies.

He looked down for a while, then went to the bathroom with a cigarette in his mouth.

When Shen Manzhi called, he was expressionlessly cleaning the blood-stained pool. His expression softened slightly when he saw the caller's name.

He held the unlit cigarette between his fingers, slowly inhaled, answered the call, and smiled slightly, "Zhizhi."

The sound of a car engine came from the yard. Qin Deyang put down the book in his hand, got up and went to the balcony, where he saw the rear of a black Bentley at the intersection of the front yard.

He turned and went to the study next door.

The mess on the floor had not yet been cleaned up, and the wooden box containing the long whip was also placed on the desk.

"Second brother is here."

The old man sat silently in his wheelchair, not responding, but his slightly lowered head turned slightly. "Ayan has grown up."

Qin Deyang sighed softly, "Sometimes I can't figure out what you're thinking."

The old man looked up, his deep-set eyes beneath a deeply furrowed brow. "You also think I did something wrong?"

"For the sake of the Qin family's superficial harmony, you chose to harm your own relatives. What did you gain?"

"A facade of peace," Qin Xianguo murmured, looking up at him quietly. "Deyang, you don't know the consequences. Once you get involved, the Qin family will face a complete purge."

Qin Deyang frowned slightly. "What happened back then."

Qin Xianguo slowly closed his eyes, saying, "Don't concern yourself with this matter."

Qin Deyang left the study and saw Uncle Ye waiting to the side. "Take him to rest."

"Master."

He turned to the side and watched as Uncle Ye stepped forward. "Master does not wish you to be involved in this matter."

Before Qin Deyang could do anything, the old man had already sent someone to relay his message.

There were other hidden circumstances surrounding what happened back then, so serious that if they were brought to light, the Qin family would be completely wiped out. To prevent future troubles, anyone who wanted to get involved would only face death.

This is also why the old man has always been unwilling to tell him.

Qin Deyang's expression softened slightly. "So he tacitly approved of those people's pursuit of Ayan, is that right?"

Uncle Ye stood there, stunned.

Qin Deyang curled his lips into a slight sneer, then turned and left.