Chapter 54

Xuan Chengming was the leader, followed by two others: Xuan Jingxi on the left and He Wenyuan on the right. All three were holding wine glasses, their intentions quite obvious.

Qin Su lowered his eyes and took a small sip of the red liquid in his glass. He lowered his eyelids to conceal the emotions in his eyes, stealing a moment of relaxation from the suffocating busyness, quietly waiting for the 'excuse' to arrive.

Qin Su's understanding of the Xuan Family, besides dry data, also included a video that Xuan Jingxi had played for him, in He Wenyuan slapped himself while his father, Xuan Chengming, watched from the other end.

Sick.

Moreover, the reason Anthony targeted him through the live chat was mostly due to He Wenyuan's instigation and sabotage.

By taking advantage of He Wenyuan's "minor temper tantrum" to achieve the effect of "grand outburst," Qin Su managed to get the surrounding old foxes to back down while he was ahead, without any psychological burden whatsoever.

From Xuan Chengming's perspective, Qin Su was casually sipping his wine while chatting with the flattering crowd around him, completely unaware that Qin Su was using them as a springboard to leave the group.

Among the parents who came were many prominent figures from various fields, including Xuan Chengming.

However, they are nowhere near as powerful as the Qin Family, who dared to confront the Federation head-on and act as if they were on equal footing.

Without a doubt, Qin Su was the undisputed focus of the banquet, overshadowing everyone else.

Therefore, when Xuan Chengming approached the crowd, the crowd did not automatically part to make way for him as it had when Qin Su arrived.

Xuan Chengming felt dissatisfied, but he didn't show it on his face. He just turned his head and gave Xuan Jingxi and He Wenyuan a wink.

Having been raised under Xuan Chengming's tutelage since childhood, the two maintained their smiles and stepped forward to clear a path for Xuan Chengming with natural ease.

Xuan Chengming walked confidently past his two children, completely unconcerned about the expressions on their faces and the looks they and others gave him.

He enjoys the sight of people who can't stand him but can't do anything about it.

"Haha, Qin Su, hello, hello." Even from a few steps away, Xuan Chengming plastered a forced, social smile on his face. He stopped a step away from Qin Su, his gaze sincere, and exclaimed, "Seeing is believing!"

Qin Su casually looked up from his wine glass, his gaze calm and unwavering as he looked at Xuan Chengming. His tone was completely flat, and his attitude was neither warm nor cold. "Mr. Xuan feels the same way."

Just like in the video, he appeared refined and polite, but the smile in his eyes didn't reach his eyes, and the curve of his lips seemed to carry malice. His smiling face gave off a very incongruous feeling.

"Haha, Qin Su, you really love to joke. How can we old guys compare to you? You're a force to be reckoned with." Hearing that Qin Su also knew him, Xuan Chengming 'Qin Su dissatisfaction subsided somewhat.

Others: "..."

That's insane! Just push them away, why bring them along?

Qin Su: "..."

I'm sorry, but his words were sarcastic and he didn't mean to praise Xuan Chengming at all. Xuan Chengming seems to have misunderstood. It's one thing to misunderstand, but he also dug a hole for himself with his words.

Xuan Chengming not only belittled himself, but also deliberately dragged everyone else around him into doing so, thus elevating himself in the process.

Qin Su didn't fall into the trap of such hateful remarks.

His "unapproachable" aura can be silently shaped and displayed through background, behavior, and certain events, but he cannot simply echo others' words to elevate himself to a superior position.

Human nature is unpredictable, especially among a group of cunning old foxes who have seen more of life than rice. If Xuan Chengming's words are true, they might one day remember something they don't like and secretly do something to annoy people.

Three seconds after Xuan Chengming finished speaking, Qin Su still showed no intention of responding.

Seeing Xuan Chengming's embarrassment, Xuan Jingxi almost burst out laughing from behind, quickly lowering her head to cover it up.

The other people around Xuan Chengming were also looking at him strangely.

Xuan Chengming seemed oblivious, smiling as he continued, "What happened last time was my responsibility as a father. I failed to educate my children properly, causing some misunderstandings between them and you, Qin Su. But I was just too busy before and couldn't find the time to apologize to you in person, Qin Su."

"Fortunately, Jingxi was there and conveyed my apologies to you, Qin Su. And thankfully, you didn't hold it against me."

The gossipers pricked up their ears and listened intently. "?"

Seriously? When did that madman Xuan Chengming get involved with the Qin Family before them? Their relationship is so close that Qin Su can forgive his mistakes.

Qin Su: "..."

Saying such ambiguous things in public, with such obvious intent, could lead others who are unaware of the truth to believe that he treats the Xuan Family differently and doesn't hold their mistakes against him.

But...

Qin Su deliberately narrowed his dark eyes slightly when he met Xuan Chengming's gaze, making sure that the Viewers could see it clearly.

Thinking of the plan he had made from the beginning, Qin Su tried hard to suppress the corners of his mouth.

Hopefully, Xuan Chengming won't look too upset when he receives the 'boomerang'.

[Based on visual estimation, Su Bao's eyes have shrunk by 6 pixels.]

[6. This is the first time I've known that pixels could be used like this.]

[Boss 1?]

[Is that even a question? Of course it's 'dangerous squinting,' a super common way to depict this in comics!]

Xuan Chengming's smile widened, and he immediately called out to Xuan Jingxi, "Jingxi, what are you standing there for?"

The tone and voice he used when speaking were different from the cautious and flattering manner he used when facing Qin Su. When speaking to his children, who were under his absolute control, Xuan Chengming's voice was soft but commanding.

It doesn't matter if he's not liked by Qin Su; he still has two children.

Besides, he was just an old father who dragged his child to apologize; what did he do wrong?

Xuan Jingxi stepped forward with a glass of red wine. Having already had a brief encounter with Qin Su and having nothing to hide, she raised her glass confidently and said, "Good evening, Qin Su."

Qin Su raised his arm, his wine glass lightly touching Xuan Jingxi's. The soft clinking of the glass accompanied Qin Su's gentle voice. "Good evening."

He can still sense whether someone has ill intentions towards him.

Seeing the two men clink glasses and take a small sip of red wine, Xuan Chengming's smile deepened, and he continued, "Wen Yuan, why don't you quickly toast Qin Su to show your apology?"

Xuan Jingxi gracefully withdrew from the stage, leaving the 'stage' to the two with a strong desire to perform.

Qin Su: "..."

'Great, here you are.'

"..."

He Wenyuan inwardly wished he could chop Xuan Chengming, who treated him like a dog in front of He Muzhi, into pieces. He stepped forward with a grin, raising his glass to Qin Su: "Qin Su, I apologize for my inappropriate behavior before."

This time, Qin Su didn't clink glasses with him as he had not long ago; instead, he stared meaningfully into his eyes.

It made him feel uneasy.

What does "Qin Su" mean?

Qin Su deliberately stared at He Wenyan's eyes, which were adorned with pink contact lenses, for two seconds. When he noticed He Wenyuan's gaze shifting unnaturally, Qin Su knew the time had come.

Taking advantage of the moment when He Wenyuan was still trying to figure out his own thoughts, Qin Su raised his hand holding a glass of red wine in He Wenyuan's direction.

Seeing Qin Su's posture as if to clink glasses with him, He Wenyuan calmed down. He just wanted to end all of this as soon as possible, so he froze, widened his smile, and moved his glass even closer to Qin Su.

Unexpectedly, Qin Su did raise the wine glass, but when the glass was some distance from He Wenyuan, everyone only saw Qin Su's slender fingers grip the glass and elegantly and neatly pull it towards He Wenyuan.

The red liquid in the transparent stemmed glass was poured down in front of He Wenyuan, falling evenly in a 'row' pattern.

Snap...

The wine glass held only a small amount of liquid, which instantly disappeared into the red wool carpet, filling the air with a rich aroma of wine.

Normally, this is the way wine is poured when commemorating the dead.

Everyone: "..."

Does this mean that in Qin Su's mind, He Wenyuan is no different from a dead man?

[How arrogant!]

[He Wenyuan has been behaving himself lately. Has he offended Qin Su? No, I don't think so.]

[He didn't. His hands are clean. He only does bad things by using others as pawns. If He Wenyuan hadn't deliberately acted like he was being bullied and targeted by our Baby 1 in front of Anthony, would Anthony have bothered to cause trouble for Vitelta?]

[As expected, Qin Su knew about the Plague God's behind-the-scenes manipulation of Anthony. Did Qin Su also know that He Wenyuan had once harbored lustful thoughts about his Glands?]

[Thanks, that's great. As long as He Wenyuan is unhappy, I'm happy. (Waves his hand, releasing a pile of nutrient solution)]

Qin Su, who withdrew his hand. "..."

He thought about it for nothing; he didn't have Glands.

An examination of the Kisslip Tree Armadillo he brought back revealed that it also did not exist.

In the next real battle, he needs to figure out a way to draw a bug with the magical attack effect of 'Glands'.

This sudden turn of events caught everyone off guard, and no one reacted until Qin Su emptied his wine glass.

Apart from the music, the entire venue was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Xuan Chengming: "..."

Qin Su is really... Not only does he not give him any face at all, but he also attacks his child right in front of him, which is tantamount to humiliating him.

However, he dared not make any rash moves and could only endure it.

Qin Su didn't give anyone a chance to react. Accompanied by melodious classical music, his cool gaze swept over everyone surrounding him.

The reactions of the crowd showed that he had successfully used 'He Wenyuan' as a springboard to leave.

As everyone's eyes instinctively turned to him, Qin Su seized the opportunity while they were still unsure about his treatment of He Wenyuan, and the atmosphere was just right for building suspense. His face darkened, and he said coldly, "Now, does anyone have any questions?"

No, no.

"That's all."

No, no.

"Please do as you please."

"Yes, yes, yes."

Yes, there are, and there are many, if not more, problems concerning Qin Su and the Qin Family, but... Upon hearing this, the group of people shook their heads one after another, their faces bearing stiff, forced smiles.

Just kidding, they don't want to become the second 'Xuan Family'.

Even if it exists, it will eventually become nothing.

Because they were completely unsure whether Qin Su's sudden change of heart stemmed from boredom with their previous probing and flattery, or whether it was solely aimed at the Xuan Family.

I don't understand it at all.

"In that case, goodbye."

As expected, Qin Su maintained his gentlemanly facade, swirled his empty wine glass, and turned to leave with an air of nonchalance amidst the anxious gazes of the crowd.

I've also passed the 'conversation hurdle'.

With He Wenyuan, someone whose 'grudge' was easily discovered with just a little inquiry, the group of foxes would only assume that he wasn't deliberately picking a fight to prevent them from finding out anything, but simply lost interest in talking to He Wenyuan because he disliked him.

Everyone would only blame He Wenyuan for depriving them of the opportunity to talk to him.

"Haha, goodbye."

"... goodbye."

Everyone readily agreed to take their leave.

Only after Qin Su turned and left did they have the mind to pay attention to the other party involved—

He Wenyuan, the son whom the Xuan Family recognized three years ago.

He Wenyuan's expression went blank for a moment, his gaze subconsciously turning to Qin Su, his hand clenching the wine glass in his hand.

"..."

He clearly never lay a hand on Qin Su, and his plans for Qin Su haven't had a chance to materialize yet. How did Qin Su know that he harbored such ill intentions towards him?

In an instant, he was transformed into a clown. Xuan Chengming's face was extremely ugly, and he stared at He Wenyuan with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. Amidst the amused gazes of the others, he said softly, "Wenyuan, you should go back and change your shoes."

He's a useless piece of trash; let him embarrass himself.

Upon hearing He Wenyuan took a deep breath, turned around, and obediently replied, "Dad is right."

Seeing He Wenyuan secretly gritting his teeth while maintaining a smile as he left her side, Xuan Jingxi almost couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Jingxi, Dad saw your Uncle Lu, let's go say hello." Xuan Chengming made an excuse to leave the awkward situation.

"Okay, Dad." The more Xuan Jingxi saw He Wenyuan and Xuan Chengming get embarrassed, the sweeter her smile became.

To match the 'classical' theme of the banquet, no service robots were used in the entire banquet hall; instead, real people were employed, and Electronic Eye was strictly prohibited.

If there are Electronic Eye, which influential parent would come next time? What if they say something inappropriate and someone with ulterior motives leaks it out? It wouldn't be good for anyone.

Passing by the waiter, Qin Su casually placed his empty wine glass on the waiter's empty tray and said softly, "Thank you for your hard work."

One second he witnessed Qin Su, the next he heard Qin Su politely and thoughtfully express his gratitude. The waiter replied, "... You're welcome, it's my pleasure."

I don't know how others feel, Qin Su, who is clearly a gentleman, finds him increasingly unfathomable and feels increasingly fearful.

Under everyone's silent gaze, Qin Su successfully positioned himself in his 'ideal' position.

I sat down on a single black leather sofa, dimly lit yet allowing me to easily survey the entire room from the shadows.

Although the lighting was dim, it wasn't impossible to see. Everyone could see that in front of Qin Su was a small round table with a retro style that matched the theme of the banquet. On either side of the sofa where Qin Su was sitting as the 'main seat', there were two other small sofas.

I wanted to sit down, but I didn't dare.

Qin Su's temper could change faster than turning the pages of a book; their unpredictable and cold demeanor was still vivid in their minds.

Unable to get close, they could only watch longingly while continuing their social interactions. They didn't want to waste this opportunity; who knew what kind of cooperation might be formed?

The students who watched the whole thing. "..."

The target is He Wenyuan, huh? Oh, that's fine then. After Qin Su disappeared, Anthony kept criticizing He Wenyuan for trying to sow discord between him and Qin Su. He's really despicable.

To ensure a perfect end to the 'deterrence' against the Xuan Family, Qin Su, sitting in his ideal position, first opened his Optical Brain, which was visible only to himself. He spent 7,500 minutes of his Life Points to exchange for a one-day 'Forced Power Cut' card, selected the target 'Xuan Family', and clicked to confirm the use.

Compared to the previous "power outage" card that could potentially restore power, this "Power Cut Trial Card" consumes more Life Points and cannot be restored by any energy source during its duration.

In order to make it easy for Xuan Chengming and others to guess that it was the Qin Family who did it, he continued to use the same simple method he had used against the Federation.

As for the occasional glances directed at him, Qin Su was used to it and simply pretended not to notice.

The reason he came was entirely because he always believed in the principle of combining theory with practice in everything he did.

Previously, he had only learned about these parents through data searched by the system, so he naturally couldn't miss this opportunity to observe them in person.

Previously, it was those foxes who secretly observed him; now the tables have turned, and it's his turn to observe them in a 'dark and twisted' way.

Upon noticing discrepancies with the data, Qin Su silently corrected them.

Soon, Xuan Chengming saw some news on his Optical Brain terminal, his expression changed, he quickly turned to look at Qin Su's location, his lips moved, but in the end he said nothing and quickly left the banquet.

Seeing that Xuan Chengming left without even paying attention to her, Xuan Jingxi raised an eyebrow slightly and silently found a secluded place to have someone investigate what had happened.

There are quite a few people like Xuan Jingxi.

Before long, upon seeing the information they had found, everyone's gaze involuntarily fell upon Qin Su.

They had long heard of Qin Su's extraordinary 'Optical Brain' technology. At this moment, Qin Su was sitting there seemingly at ease, but he was definitely using his Optical Brain to handle things they couldn't see.

Otherwise, how could the Xuan Family have suddenly lost power, and why was it a power outage from which energy supply could not be restored?

The larger the enterprise, the longer it cannot maintain operations and the greater the losses.

This familiar method was clearly Qin Su's doing, and the crowd tacitly moved further away from Qin Su.

"Truly experienced," someone couldn't help but mutter in admiration.

Soon someone chimed in, "That's right, it's something only someone with extensive social experience would do."

"That's just like you did last time."

"Don't talk nonsense. What did I do last time?"

"Wasn't it you who paid online trolls to amplify the Zhao Family's scandal?"

"Do you have any evidence? I could also say that last time you deliberately provoked Mr. Wang he would hit you, then you called the police to arrest him, and only then were you able to steal his business while he was in custody."

"Bullshit! I'm going to sue you for defamation!"

Watching the two bickering, one of the onlookers sighed, "We guessed it was him, but we couldn't find any evidence. Truly... a simple yet brilliant tactic."

"Who can argue with that?"

Qin Su, who overheard this, said, "..."

High emotional intelligence: "Sophisticated", "Socially Experienced", "Shrewd".

Low emotional intelligence: lacking manners and shameless; legal but sick.

It seems that in any world, the idea that "high-end business warfare often employs simple methods" is commonplace and loved by everyone.

[Haha, novels about business warfare are high-class and sophisticated, but real-life business warfare is seriously flawed.]

How did you know that our manager asked me to pretend to be a customer and take pictures of the competitor's price list last time?

[You might not believe it, but it's absolutely true. Last time, to prevent our competitor from signing a contract, our boss had his dad stage an accident involving their car to deliberately delay them. Who knew the competitor would call the police? In the end, it all went to the police station. Although his dad was in jail for a few days, the competitor's contract really wasn't signed, hahaha.]

[Boss Dad: It didn't say that raising children to provide for old age was like this.]

[Boss: Dad, just tell me if it's a secure job or not]

Our boss first spread rumors that the company next door was haunted, then waited until they hired a "master" before anonymously reporting the company for practicing feudal superstition.

With the deterrent effect of the 'He Wenyuan' incident, no one dared to approach Qin Su. After observing each parent methodically and obtaining their authentic 'portraits', Qin Su immediately stood up and calmly left amidst the various expressions on everyone's faces.

No one dared to stop them.

At midnight, Cinderella's magic would wear off, and the same would be true for Qin Su's 'magic'. Leaving early would only bring him more benefits than harm.

Watching Qin Su's indifferent figure disappear from sight, Raymond muttered to himself, "If it weren't for He Wenyuan's incident, I might have been able to speak with Qin Su tonight."

"It's all He Wenyuan's fault!"

He Muzhi fully understood Raymond's reluctant expression and nodded, "That's right."

"No matter what, it's all He Wenyuan's fault!" Lailisi said indignantly.

When He Muzhi first He Wenyuan to them, He Wenyuan almost poisoned them all and sent them away. At that time, they were deceived by He Wenyuan's weak and pitiful appearance.

Back in the dormitory, Qin Su decided on his landing spot and, to ensure everything went smoothly, made some preparations for tomorrow's class Class Monitor election.

The Real World.

Having received Qin Su's orders in advance, Jiang Cheng, who was waiting on the outskirts, received Qin Su's message at 12:01:

Qin Su: Come in.

Seeing those two short words, Jiang Cheng beckoned everyone inside.

Looking at the warehouse overflowing with brand-new, high-tech products far exceeding his comprehension, Assistant Jiang and his group were stunned, their eyes burning with fervor.

Bodyguards:

"!"

"I've made up my mind. In this life, I am a member of the Qin Family, and I will die a member of the Qin Family!"

"I also!"

"+ID number!"

Thinking of his sister's special qualities, Qin Su: "..."

Their words might very well come true.

The bodyguards were once again impressed by the Qin Family, and they worked with great enthusiasm.

Assistant Jiang silently walked to Qin Su's side. Others might not know, but the group of bodyguards behind him were unaware of what had happened over the past few days. However, he, who had been searching for and leading another group to clean up the warehouse, knew very well what had happened.

"A... a robbery?" Jiang Cheng, who was usually composed and steady, stammered for the first time.

"Am I that kind of person?" Upon hearing this, Qin Su protested, looking at Assistant Jiang with a deep gaze, and said seriously, "This is compensation for my emotional distress."

They themselves said it was 'all'; how can this be considered robbery?

Jiang Cheng: "... Whatever makes you happy."

It's better to believe he's the emperor than to believe Qin Su; he'll give you a 50-yuan meal deal!

"By the way," Qin Su shifted his gaze from the bodyguards to Jiang Cheng, "Assistant Jiang, how many of the Ghosts my sister brought back are left?"

He wanted to use it during the Class Monitor election.