Chapter 95: A Minor Matter Concerning My Father Actually Being a Hidden Big Shot, Part 5

When Qin Ye first saw Tan Suqing, it was as though he were looking at a flawless, exquisitely dressed doll displayed in a shop window.

Tan Suqing’s eyes resembled her mother’s very much, round and bright, lending her an inborn sweetness.

Every gesture she made was graceful. The upper class had drawn up all manner of rules and proprieties for this circle, using them to distinguish insiders from outsiders.

Qin Ye had always disdained such things. Some etiquette was indeed a virtue, a mark of upbringing; some, however, was nothing more than making trouble for the sake of it.

And who had decided that one must follow the framework fashioned by those who came before in order to be correct?

So long as one did not harm others or defy heaven and earth, everyone ought to be free to choose the life they liked, rather than being forced to walk only the path others had laid out.

Qin Ye sighed. Well, he had been too sure of himself. In truth, those who could truly live exactly as they wished were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

That was why he had chosen the path of cultivation, why he pursued the Great Dao and immortality with unwavering resolve. Nothing else could shake his heart in seeking the Way.

So long as he grew strong enough that no rule could bind him, then he would be the most unrestrained man in the world.

“Mom, did you want to see me?”

Tan Suqing had been brought back especially by someone. She still did not know what had happened, nor did she know that she was actually the wrong child.

Madam Tan had not told her any of it, and no one else had specifically mentioned it either, because Tan Suqing had such a good personality that very few people disliked her.

She was rather like the classic supporting female character with no obvious flaws: good-looking, good-tempered, kind-hearted, and yet never favored, or ultimately doomed to lose to the heroine.

Of course, in the storyline of this world, she did not even have the slightest share of the limelight.

The plot would not begin for several more years. When it did, Tan Yuanyuan would have spent years fawning over the crown prince of the capital’s elite circle, only to become a joke in his eyes. Then they would part, and meet again after many long years.

The look Madam Tan gave Tan Suqing was undoubtedly one of satisfaction, though it was the cold satisfaction one might feel upon seeing a perfect doll of one’s own making.

She briefly explained what had happened to Tan Suqing, without caring whether Tan Suqing could accept it, and said directly:

“He is your biological father. He has come specially to take you back this time, because he wants you to return to the course your life was meant to follow.”

Qin Ye, waking, rolled his eyes. But when he met Tan Suqing’s helpless gaze, he offered a warm, encouraging smile.

“I only want to know this: now that you know the truth, do you want to go back, or do you want to stay? Of course, whatever you decide, your mother and I... your birth mother, that is... will support you.”

Tan Suqing was a little muddled, but she seemed to understand why, for the past two days, people had kept looking at her with such a hesitant, unspeaking expression.

They were looking at her the way one looked at a shameless thief who had seized another’s nest.

Tan Suqing lowered her eyes, as if weighing the matter.

Madam Tan still looked utterly confident, but after thinking it over, Tan Suqing bowed to her from the waist, a full and formal salute.

“However things are, you will always be my mother. But since this life was a mistaken exchange, it should be put right. Otherwise, it would be terribly unfair to your biological daughter.”

After all, she was the fake daughter. From the true daughter’s point of view, that other girl was indeed the one who had been wronged.

The true daughter was the victim.

And to be honest, Tan Suqing actually felt relieved.

If she no longer had to be the Tan family’s daughter, perhaps she would not need to force herself so desperately to meet her parents’ expectations, nor strive to make everything perfect at every turn.

Being perfect was exhausting. Yet she had discovered that only then would her parents’ eyes pause on her for even a moment.

Otherwise, she would not receive even a glance from them.

Madam Tan’s self-assured expression shattered. Her face turned cold.

“You’ve made up your mind? You’re going to give up the Tan family’s wealth and glory and go back to being an ordinary person?”

“I’ve made up my mind.”

Tan Suqing’s voice was very soft.

Madam Tan gave a derisive laugh. “Like father, like daughter. The son of a rat knows how to burrow. So you really are a wolf in sheep’s clothing that can’t be raised. Fine. Since you’ve decided, then go with your biological father right now.”

Tan Suqing hesitated for a moment. Her things...

“You don’t still think you can take anything with you, do you? Everything you wear, use, eat, and drink—none of it came from the Tan family. I’m already letting you leave in the expensive clothes on your back. That is mercy enough for a wolf in sheep’s clothing like you.”

Being rebuked so mercilessly by the Madam Tan she had always treated as her real mother, Tan Suqing looked as though she might fall apart on the spot.

The people accompanying Qin Ye could not bear it any longer.

“Madam Tan, you might want to mind your tongue.”

“What, am I wrong? Her food, drink, clothes, and everything else were all provided by the Tan family. What I said isn’t illegal, is it? Don’t tell me someone is going to arrest me for it.”

Madam Tan was only giving the officials a little face; she was not afraid of them.

What kind of scale did the Tan family have? Why would they be afraid of some minor official?

Ridiculous.

“How much did your family spend in total? Give me a figure.”

Qin Ye’s words made Madam Tan laugh.

“You’re not about to say you’ll repay the Tan family in full for everything they spent on her, are you?”

“That is exactly what I mean.”

Madam Tan laughed until tears nearly came to her eyes. Perhaps she found it very amusing, very entertaining. In the end, she really did have someone calculate every single expense Tan Suqing had incurred in the Tan family over the years.

Food, clothing, daily expenses, money for lessons, hobbies, and interests—none of it was missed.

When the final total was reached, Madam Tan cast the written figure down at Qin Ye from on high.

“That’s the amount. Well? Still trying to bluff your way through it?”

Qin Ye did not let the paper slip to the floor. He caught the note in one hand, glanced at the number written on it, and called out to the alt account.

The alt account’s voice sounded. “The account statement has already been transferred to the Tan Group’s corporate ledger. We will use this receipt to make the truth public through the media, so as to prevent anyone from maliciously manipulating public opinion and harming the motherland’s future hope.”

Had the alt account gone off to further studies or something?

The words it used were polished and full of flourishes, but it had to be said that they struck exactly Qin Ye’s taste.

Madam Tan sneered. “You think this sort of trick is enough to fool me?”

Though she said that, she still gave a look to have someone check whether the corporate ledger had really received a sum of money.

In the end, it had. Madam Tan’s face instantly turned a shade pale.

She had been so smug and so insolent in front of Qin Ye because she looked down on him. But if the Qin family was not, in fact, the ordinary household she had imagined...

Then what exactly were they?

If their background was so great that the Tan family could not possibly afford to offend them, then had she not thoroughly ruined things today?

No. There was still a chance to salvage this. Suqing... that girl always listened to her. If she simply smiled at her, the child could be happy for half a day.

Just as Madam Tan was about to say something to Tan Suqing, she saw Qin Ye already leading Tan Suqing away from the Tan residence.

“Why didn’t you stop them?”

“...”

How was anyone supposed to stop them? Should they have slammed the doors shut and blocked the way so they could not leave?

And then what, if the other side simply reported it to the police?

Besides, had everyone forgotten that official personnel were following them?

The Tan family was not exactly clean behind the scenes to begin with. Since they were not so righteous, why would they be brainless enough to hand the authorities leverage of their own accord?

Madam Tan also knew they could not be stopped. She was simply venting her anger.

On the other side, Qin Ye first took Tan Suqing to the relevant office and changed her household registration.

According to the materials sent over by the alt account and Tan Jian, the Tan family had taken a forceful stance back then and gone directly to the Qin family to provide the documents. They had changed Qin Yuanyuan’s name to Tan Yuanyuan and moved her household registration back to the Tan family.

Now it was the same in reverse. Tan Suqing was changed back to the Qin surname, her household registration was moved into the Qin family, and from then on she would have no further connection with the Tan family.

That was what Madam Tan herself had said, and Qin Ye had fulfilled her demands. The two sides should sever ties completely, leaving no room whatsoever.

As for Tan Yuanyuan, there was no need to go looking for her specially.

She was probably busy transforming, because of her changed identity and the sight of her idol, into a devoted fool who could never be pulled back.

There was not much in the original body’s lingering obsession concerning Tan Yuanyuan, so Qin Ye could not be bothered to deal with it.

After all, once one turned eighteen, one was an adult. Tan Yuanyuan would have to bear responsibility for everything she did.

So even though he knew the reason the original body’s obsession did not include much about Tan Yuanyuan was likely because Tan Yuanyuan, as the true daughter of the Tan family, should not have had a very miserable life, Qin Ye still could not be bothered to open up a side quest.

It was not boasting to say that ever since he began his career, which task had he ever failed to complete perfectly?

Every client had praised him without stint. Did he really need to go digging up hidden side quests just to try to satisfy them as much as possible?

Absolutely not.

Xiao San: ...

Indeed, there was no need. Who would dare be dissatisfied?

Other people solved problems. You, damn it, solved the person who raised the problem.

Qin Ye proudly declared the matter finished, took his daughter home, and then frowned, ready to change homes altogether.

The companion who had been with them the entire time spoke up. “We just happen to have housing available here. The security is excellent, and no one with bad intentions will be able to get in.

And the surroundings are very good as well: this is the residential area for the families of research staff. Right next door are the military garrison, the military hospital, and a large shopping complex. It’s very convenient for travel too.”

Perfect.

That saved Qin Ye the trouble of buying a new house.

He nodded and first took Qin Suqing to the hospital.

This was Feng Xiaolian’s first time meeting her own daughter, and she felt a little awkward. Qin Ye, meanwhile, stood by her side and portrayed Madam Tan as a super-villainous stepmother.

Qin Suqing had suffered in the Tan family more miserably than Cinderella.

“The Tan family is also a family with standing and reputation. How could they treat their own child so coldly and so cruelly?”

As expected, Feng Xiaolian immediately cast aside the little distance she had felt. The more she looked, the more guilty she felt, and soon she was pulling Qin Suqing aside to shower her with concern and affection.

Qin Yancheng: ...

Hello, is anyone going to care about me?