329 Gossip

"You are pathetic!" Qin Hao yelled. He could barely contain his anger as he tightened his grip on the phone. This woman had been playing him for years! YEARS! All he wanted now was to kill her, to make her suffer before finally slitting her throat! "You are so damn pathetic! If you think you can win against me then you are sadly mistaken, Zhang Yifei! Your biggest mistake was underestimating me!" Qin Hao ended the call before Zhang Yifei could think of a suitable response.

"Did you get that? Did you track her?" he asked as he threw his phone on the couch.

"Yes, Master… her current location is the Iconic Hotel downtown. Shall we send our men to get her?"

Qin Hao narrowed his eyes as he walked towards the window in his office. He shoved his hands in his pockets and asked, "How are the preparations coming along for the press conference tomorrow?"

"Everything is ready. However… our investors are still in panic mode. After the explosion, investors were concerned about the future of the Qin Group. When you couple that with the unfortunate passing of the Qin patriarch, it has become increasingly difficult to pacify them."

"Hmmm…" Qin Hao nodded. "Then… don't touch Zhang Yifei for now. Just send a few of our men there to observe her. Follow her everywhere she goes, and take photographs of everything! I want to know everything that she might still be hiding or lying about," Qin Hao ordered. "Also… the press release about me taking over as the CEO - is it ready?"

"Yes, Master," the lackey said with a deferential nod of his head. He bid Qin Hao goodbye before heading out to relay Qin Hao's orders to the rest of the men.

Once he was alone, Qin Hao lapsed into a sea of memories yet again.

All this time…he was constantly being manipulated. All this time, he had been listening to her observations and treating them as excellent suggestions! Qin Hao gnashed his teeth as he thought about all of the things that had been going on lately. Every aspect of his family's existence was a complete mess!

After a few seconds of contemplation, Qin Hao picked up his phone and dialled a number. Another thing that he needed to take care of was Qin Chuan. While he couldn't deny that dealing with Zhang Yifei was his utmost priority, that brother of his had not slipped his mind.

Qin Hao has been managing the company since forever! He could not allow people to discover Qin Chuan's role in the company!

….

"This is why I told you to stop acting like a cripple already," Lily said nonchalantly. She stared at Qin Chuan for a few seconds. "Your brother is planning to make you look bad in front of the press. After all… you didn't even bother to show your face when your father was hospitalised."

"I am still surprised by the fact that Qin Wuyang is the reason why all this happened," Qin Chuan said as he met Lily's eyes. This time his gaze was different as it contained a hint of confidence. "Qin Wuyang has given me everything. For years, he was the only...He supported me. I can't believe that..."

"I'm not really sure if I can arrange for us to talk. Just the three of us," Lily said. "I'm very much interested in finding out why he would want to ruin his own brother. I'm sure it wasn't because of money as that man has more money than the whole Qin Group. There has to be something else," Lily said. The coldness and detachment in Lily's voice instantly caused a tinge of guilt and sadness to flash in Qin Chuan's eyes.  Qin Chuan sighed heavily. Had he really expected his daughter to act a little warmer towards him? After his epic level of stupidity and gullibility?

Qin Chuan returned his focus to the matter at hand. "I expected this much from Qin Hao. After all, he is a very greedy man. He definitely would not care to have me show up at a meeting one day and tell everyone that I'm the one who has been making the lucrative decisions while everyone believes that Qin Hao is running the company and all the credit for success falls under his name."

"Well… he called a media company last night. He asked them to leak the news about how ungrateful you are and the fact that you haven't even shown your face since the old man's accident. This news will be released on the internet at noon today. We have…" Lily paused as she checked her watch. "We have approximately an hour to stop it. I can ask my contacts to do it."

"You want my opinion?" Qin Chuan asked as he stared at Lily. He was not expecting this at all.

"The fight against Qin Hao is yours. My fight is with Zhang Yifei and her… people," she said as she thought about how Qin Mo has been suffering since becoming disabled. She wondered how that man was doing these days given that his company is still on the verge of bankruptcy, even after Xuan Hui bailed them out.

"Then… let them go ahead and release the news," Qin Chuan said. "I will show myself after they lay my father to rest. I will also attend the next board meeting. I still have shares in the Qin Group so I have the right to attend the meetings."

"Actually, if you appear immediately after your father's death, you will paint yourself as a greedy man who is only interested in fighting for control of the company now that your father is dead," Lily countered before she narrowed her eyes speculatively. "You want to reveal to everyone that Qin Hao is useless and that you're actually the one who was running the company all these years? Okay, but do you have anything to prove this fact?"

"I do," he confirmed. "Now that I'm am certain that you and Yuanfeng are safe I can run the company openly and give you everything that you deserve."

"Alright," Lily said in a throwaway fashion. If he really wanted to give her something she would neither complain nor decline. Since Lily planned on taking over the company in the first place, it would not be a big deal to have Qin Chuan handle it for a few more years. "Qin Yuanfeng is safe and alive. I mean… if you are curious."

"I know you wouldn't have hurt him," Qin Chuan said breezily. "You are not as heartless as you think or portray yourself to be."

….

After Qin Hao called his contacts in the media company, the news about Qin Chuan's ungrateful behavior instantly spread across the business industry. More noteworthy than that was the news that Zhang Yifei was the one responsible for the old man's death. Of course… the thing about Zhang Yifei was not openly reported on the reputable news sites - but it was in constant rotation on the online gossip sites.

Since Zhang Yifei was the mother Qin Yuanfeng, a minor celebrity with a decent sized fanbase, people actually knew of her and even started discussing the topic. How could an idol have such a shameless mother and father? Most of these people weren't even aware of the fact that Qin Yuanfeng was missing. They were all under the impression that he was abroad for acting classes, so when they heard the news about him they instantly reacted and searched for more information about his family.

….

"The police? Why would they want to see me?" Qin Hao instantly furrowed his brows when he heard the maid's words. He did not wait for her answer but strode out of his office and straight into the living room.

"Mr. Qin," a man in a police uniform greeted him. "Good afternoon. We would like to invite you to the precinct to answer a few questions regarding a case filed by Miss Zhang Yifei against you."

"A what? I'm sorry… I think I heard you wrong. What case are you talking about?" he asked, confused. What are you up to this time, Zhang Yifei? he wondered.

"Physical assault and rape."

"What did you say?" Qin Hao's brain shortcircuited as he heard the police officers words. "Physical assault and rape? I did not touch her! She was the one who murdered my father!"

.....

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