Entering the Qin Family

Catching the familiar scent of her body, Qiu Tu felt a stir in his heart. Looking down, his eyes were greeted by Qin Shuman's long, swanlike neck and the full curves of her bust. The tailored cut of her qipao accentuated an already enchanting figure into alluring, exquisite relief, inevitably reminding Qiu Tu of the tenderness and sensuality she showed whenever she was in his arms. At this moment, Qin Shuman had no idea Qiu Tu was distracted by her charms. Reaching out, she took hold of his sleeve, her expressive eyes tinged with tension and anxiety. "How are things now?" she whispered. "I was so terrified last night I couldn't sleep a wink. Every time I dozed off, I woke with a start. "I had nightmare after nightmare, and in every one, Yan Chen was coming to kill us." By the end, her eyes reddened once more, her voice trembling slightly. "I'm so scared..." Hearing this, Qiu Tu looked at her deeply, scrutinizing her expression. He couldn't tell. Truly, not a single flaw gave her away. Yet Qiu Tu's intuition told him Qin Shuman was hiding something. It was the distinct sensation of encountering one of his own kind... However, Crisis Sense had never been triggered, which meant Qin Shuman posed no immediate threat to him. That was why he remained willing to keep cooperating with her. With this in mind, Qiu Tu reassured her gently, "Don't worry. Everything has been resolved." Saying this, Qiu Tu led Qin Shuman toward the window. As the sunlight settled quietly over them, Qiu Tu briefly went over the events of the past two days in a hushed voice. Naturally, he deliberately steered clear of the cloned female body and the Aurora Stone, claiming merely that he had seized on a few inconsistencies in Yan Chen's words and successfully persuaded him. This, of course, drastically diminished the credibility of his story. Sure enough, Qin Shuman looked at him with skepticism once he finished. "That simple?" Qiu Tu nodded. "That simple." He continued, "Now, all you have to do is contact Yan Chen as planned, and you'll be able to leave." At his words, Qin Shuman hesitated for a moment before finally nodding. She released Qiu Tu's hand, bit her lip gently with pearly teeth, and swayed her willow-slender waist as she walked over to the bedside. Her frame was slender, her legs long. The pink slit qipao shifted softly with each step, granting fleeting glimpses of snow-white skin, while its swinging tassels accentuated her graceful, alluring poise. *This woman is trying to seduce me.* For some reason, the thought crossed Qiu Tu's mind. His eyes narrowed slightly as he continued to watch her. He watched her step up to the bedside, bending forward just enough to accentuate the full curve of her hips as she picked up the landline telephone and dialed a number. A moment later, the call connected. Qin Shuman straightened up and said softly, "Hello, Secretary Bai. This is Qin Shuman. I would like to speak with Director Yan." Qin Shuman waited a short while before Yan Chen came to the phone. Parting her vermilion lips, she repeated what Qiu Tu had instructed her to say about wanting to return to the Qin family. Since Yan Chen had already agreed to this beforehand, he merely gave a cold grunt of assent. Hanging up the receiver, Qin Shuman patted her heavy chest like a startled rabbit and looked at Qiu Tu in delight. "It actually worked! "He agreed! He said he would make the arrangements." Just as Qiu Tu was about to nod, his battered bar-style communicator began to ring. He picked it up and saw three words displayed: [Secretary Bai]. Secretary Bai was Yan Chen's executive secretary, primarily responsible for organizing Yan Chen's official schedule, receiving important visitors, and coordinating among the Investigation Bureau's various departments. Though titled a secretary, his rank was far from low; holding a concurrent post as Director of the Administrative Office, he was technically Qiu Tu's direct superior. Part of the reason Qiu Tu had managed to cling to Yan Chen's coattails in the first place was Bai's appreciation and recommendation. He wondered, however, whether the scandal between him and Qin Shuman would affect Secretary Bai's standing with Yan Chen. With that thought in mind, Qiu Tu answered the call. Once connected, Secretary Bai's attitude remained unchanged—approachable, with a hint of warmth and favor. He first offered brief congratulations on Qiu Tu's promotion and transfer, then conveyed Yan Chen's orders. Much like what the three of them had discussed the night before, Qiu Tu would serve as Qin Shuman's personal bodyguard, taking full charge of her trip home to visit family. What caught Qiu Tu off guard, however, was that Yan Chen had also appointed the other members of the escort team. Responsible for Qin Shuman's security was the Special Service Department's Seventh Squad, to which Fang Ming belonged. Responsible for attending to Qin Shuman's daily needs was her personal maid—the very whistleblower from before—Cui Lan. In essence, Yan Chen had rounded up every single person involved in the incident and bundled them off to the Qin family. It seemed he intended to settle all related matters in one fell swoop at the Qin residence... Thinking this, Qiu Tu was in no mood to continue soothing Qin Shuman. After ending the call, he gave her hand a gentle pat, turned, and left her boudoir to relay orders and make advance arrangements. Just as he stepped out of Qin Shuman's room, however, he caught Cui Lan lurking outside the door with a guilty expression. Qiu Tu glanced at her, then at the marks on the door, instantly deducing that the maid had been leaning against it eavesdropping for quite a while. Qiu Tu gave her a searching look, but did not call her out, choosing instead to stride away. [07:46:21 (Treasure Chest)] When one was busy, time always flew. In the blink of an eye, several hours slipped past. That evening, the Qin family hosted a lavish banquet to welcome Qiu Tu and his party. Besides the Qin family's current patriarch, Qin Heng, the attendees included representatives from the second, third, fourth, and fifth branches of the clan. Old Master Qin had been born before the Cataclysm. Inheriting his parents' legacy, he built the foundation of the Qin family amid the chaos of the post-apocalyptic world before passing away abruptly three years ago. The Qin family was now helmed by the current patriarch, Qin Heng. Yet his prestige clearly fell short of the old master's. At the very least, during the banquet, Qiu Tu noticed that the various branches were constantly trying to curry favor with him. The root cause was likely Qin Heng's frail health since childhood; plagued by a chronic cough, he had only a single daughter, leaving the other branches restless and ambitious... Qiu Tu quietly committed the Qin family's situation to memory. Although he had the dossier Lao Ying had gathered over the past two days, written reports could never match firsthand observation... When the banquet ended, Qiu Tu politely declined the warm invitation from the third branch. Leading his subordinates back to the residence the Qin family had prepared for the escort detail, he went to see the young girl potioneer... Arriving at the guest room where the young girl potioneer was detained, he pushed open the door. The Special Service Department agent inside immediately rose to his feet with alert vigilance. Seeing it was Qiu Tu, the agent breathed a sigh of relief and snapped a salute. "Sir!" Qiu Tu nodded to him and said, "Wait outside for now. I will interrogate her alone tonight."