In a corner of the Qian household.
“Ow… ow… Mom, let go!” Qian Duoduo yelped as Zhu Xuemiao yanked his ear.
Zhu Xuemiao released him, fuming, “You little punk, glaring at your own mom for an outsider? Do you need a beating?”
Qian Duoduo grinned sheepishly, “Mom, don’t be mad. I’m doing this for your sake.”
“For my sake?” Zhu Xuemiao’s eyes widened, “If you really cared, you wouldn’t defend that bastard. It’d be better if they fought!”
“You’re not usually like this. What’s up today?”
“Why’d you step up for that bastard…”
“Shh!”
Qian Duoduo pressed a finger to his lips, glancing around. Seeing no one, he sighed in relief and whispered, “Mom, never call Ye Qiu a bastard again.”
“Why not?” Zhu Xuemiao asked, puzzled.
Qian Duoduo said gravely, “Ye Qiu’s untouchable. Absolutely untouchable.”
Zhu Xuemiao laughed, “A bastard? I’d be scared of him?”
“Mom, you saw what happened to Cao Chunmei and Qian Rong, right? I’m telling you, if Ye Qiu didn’t give Uncle some face, they’d both be corpses by now.”
“Those two idiots picked the wrong guy to mess with.”
“Ye Qiu sparing them was already a mercy.”
“Duoduo, you’re not making this up, are you? That bastard would dare kill?” Zhu Xuemiao chuckled, “This is a lawful society. If he killed, he’d rot in jail forever.”
“Mom, I told you, stop calling him a bastard. If he hears, we’re toast—seriously toast.”
Qian Duoduo continued, “I saw Ye Qiu in action in the capital.”
“You know Young Master Zhang, Elder Zhang’s grandson?”
“Ye Qiu crippled him right in front of me.”
What?
Zhu Xuemiao gasped, “Duoduo, is that true?”
“Would I lie about this? Not just Young Master Zhang—I called over a hundred guys to back him up against Ye Qiu. None of them could touch him. He took them all down.”
“Mom, picture this: blood everywhere, over a hundred guys screaming in pools of it.”
“I was terrified.”
“Then Young Master Zhang called his brother, Zhang Qingyao.”
“Zhang Qingyao?” Zhu Xuemiao exclaimed, “The grandson Elder Zhang favors most?”
“Exactly, Zhang Qingyao’s the heir Elder Zhang picked,” Qian Duoduo said, “When he showed up, he didn’t even dare fart. To get Ye Qiu to spare Young Master Zhang, he cut off his own hand.”
Hiss!
Zhu Xuemiao sucked in a sharp breath.
Qian Duoduo added, “I kept wondering why Ye Qiu didn’t touch me.”
“It hit me when I saw him outside earlier—he must’ve known I’m his cousin, so he let me off.”
“If I weren’t his cousin, Mom, you’d never see me again.”
Zhu Xuemiao was still reeling, “Didn’t the Zhang family go after Ye Qiu?”
“No.”
Qian Duoduo shook his head, “Young Master Zhang and Zhang Qingyao got chewed out by Elder Zhang when they got home.”
“Elder Zhang warned them: better to cross the King of Hell than Ye Qiu. When he snaps, he’s like a demon.”
“Later, I heard from Young Master Zhang that Ye Qiu joined some secret military unit, high-ranking too—rumor has it he’s the top leader’s granddaughter’s fiancé.”
“Good heavens!”
Zhu Xuemiao’s mind spun, too stunned to speak.
“Mom, you know Champion Marquis Xiao Jiu? His brother Xiao Qingdi tried stealing a woman from Ye Qiu and got crippled—wheelchair for life.”
“Xiao Jiu’s got insane power, a million troops under him, and even he won’t touch Ye Qiu. That’s how scary he is.”
“So, never cross Ye Qiu, or we’ll die miserably.”
Zhu Xuemiao patted her chest, shaken, “Duoduo, good thing you told me, or I might’ve caused a disaster.”
“Now that I know that bas—Ye Qiu’s background, I’ll be nicer to him and his mom.”
“Oh, Duoduo, don’t tell anyone this—especially Cao Chunmei and Qian Rong. They’ve been lording it over this house for years. Time they got put in their place.”
Qian Duoduo nodded.
Zhu Xuemiao frowned, “I heard he and his mom struggled in Jiangzhou all these years. How’d he end up the top leader’s granddaughter’s fiancé?”
“No idea.”
“Mom, you know that century-old ginseng I brought back? The boss of Baoli Auction House gave it to me.”
“They gifted it because of Ye Qiu’s influence.”
Qian Duoduo said with a mix of envy and admiration, “My cousin’s got connections that scare even the top dogs in the capital. If only I could be half as badass.”
Thwack!
Zhu Xuemiao smacked Qian Duoduo’s head, “If you were half as capable, I’d be happy.”
“Mom, half’s a lot. How about a tenth?”
“Oh, now you’re bargaining? Looking for a beating?”
“Mom, let’s head to the back courtyard. See if Ye Qiu can cure Grandpa.”
“You’re right. Let’s go.”
The Qian family’s inner courtyard was vast.
Ye Qiu followed Zhang Jiuling for several minutes, crossing it to reach the back courtyard.
Stepping through the gate, Ye Qiu sensed several gazes on him, heavy with authority.
He looked up to see middle-aged men in white shirts outside the main house, their faces stern.
That authority radiated from them.
“These must be the ‘important guests’ Qian Rong mentioned—probably Su Hang’s power players,” Ye Qiu thought, his expression calm. He nodded slightly to them and followed Zhang Jiuling to the main house door.
“Elder Zhang, this young guy’s the divine doctor you brought?”
The men eyed Ye Qiu, their looks skeptical and probing.
He was just too young.
In their minds, a divine doctor was a white-haired, bearded old man with an immortal air, like some sage.
Ye Qiu didn’t fit that image at all.
“Exactly,” Zhang Jiuling laughed, “Don’t underestimate Ye Qiu. His medical skills outshine mine by miles.”
Qian Bowen pointed at the men, introducing, “Ye Qiu, meet Secretary Wang, Governor Han, Mayor Zhao, Director Tian… They’re all Father’s students.”
“Leaders, this is Ye Qiu, my nephew. His medical skills… pretty impressive.”
“Greetings, leaders,” Ye Qiu smiled lightly, asking Qian Bowen, “Uncle, where’s Grandpa?”
“Inside the room. Follow me!”
Qian Bowen pushed open the door, leading Ye Qiu and Qian Jinglan inside.
