He first gave an awkward smile, then said, "Um, share the joy, share the joy."
Upon hearing this, Qiu Tu glanced at him with a surprised look and said, "Share what joy? Today is my birthday."
Hearing Qiu Tu’s words, Qin Cheng obviously paused for a second before then responding with an embarrassed laugh, "Ah? Is it? Well then, happy birthday, Chief Qiu."
Qiu Tu caught every single reaction of Qin Cheng and formulated some conjecture in his mind, yet he continued to act without showing his thoughts, "Thank you, thank you. So...."
Qiu Tu stretched out his hand, "Do you have any birthday presents for me?"
Qin Cheng, upon hearing this, gave Qiu Tu a look. His eyes, slightly blurred from debauchery, seemed sharp as if trying to see through Qiu Tu’s thoughts...
But Qiu Tu just smiled at him, as if he really was just there to extort something.
Seeing this, Qin Cheng gave a couple of awkward laughs and tentatively said, "Chief Qiu, if I give you money, can I leave then?"
Qiu Tu looked at him seriously, "Fifth Master, this I must correct you on."
"First, it’s not giving money, it’s presenting a birthday gift. These two are completely different concepts."
"Second, this is your home. Why would you want to leave?"
"Clearly, it should be us who ought to leave."
Qiu Tu’s words seemed to reassure Qin Cheng who quickly responded, "Right, right, right, that’s what I meant."
After saying that, he added, "Then I will go and fetch Chief Qiu’s birthday present now." Find more to read at empire
Upon hearing this, Qiu Tu called towards the doorway, "Chen Feng!"
Shortly after, Chen Feng’s figure appeared at the door, responding starkly, "Present!"
Qiu Tu nodded towards him, "Follow Qin Wuyi to retrieve my birthday present."
Chen Feng, "Yes!"
As he watched the two of them ascend to the second floor of the villa, Qiu Tu’s face, which had been smiling the whole time, slowly became expressionless.
The reason he first inquired about Qin Cheng’s birthday and then asked for a present was, in fact, all to test him.
Although he suspected that Old Master Qin had not only taken over one son’s body all those years ago, it was, after all, just a suspicion.
He couldn’t just arrest Qin Cheng based on mere suspicion, nor could he use his once-a-day "Cataclysmic ability" to interrogate on the strength of such doubt.
Therefore, he had to first determine through probing whether Qin Cheng was a likely suspect.
Luckily... his own arrival might have been a bit sudden, not giving Qin Cheng much time to prepare.
So, with just two simple tests, Qiu Tu could almost confirm that the teenager before him was very likely Old Master Qin himself...
Thinking this way, he couldn’t help but contemplate how to deal with this old fellow who had single-handedly founded the Qin Family...
...
Meanwhile.
At the same time that Qiu Tu and Qin Cheng were engaging in their standoff.
Several hundred meters away from Qin Cheng’s small villa on the street, a shadow slipped through the shadows of the street like a phantom, stirring up whirlwinds in its wake.
Quickly following the traces of Qiu Tu’s vehicle, it arrived at the outskirts of Qin Cheng’s villa.
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Upon recognizing the environment, the shadow was momentarily stunned.
’Why is it Old Qin’s villa?’
’Could it be... the target has learned of Old Qin’s identity and is preparing to make a move?’
With that thought, the shadow grew noticeably more anxious.
Like a monkey, with a few leaps, it reached the crown of a large tree.
It stood lightly on a thin branch as if without weight, looking out over the situation near the villa.
As it ceased moving, the leaves seemed to integrate with its body, making it almost impossible for outsiders to see.
Before long, it had a clear understanding of the immediate vicinity of the villa.
There were nine investigators outside, eight men and one woman.
The eight male investigators were positioned in pairs on all four sides of the villa.
The lone female investigator was reprimanding three scantily dressed women on the lawn while taking notes.
’This is a bit tricky....’
The shadow silently analyzed the situation, "An Investigation Bureau squad probably consists of 10-12 people. So there should still be 2-4 people inside the house."
"Although it’s a bit dangerous... I can give it a try."
Thinking this, the shadow, carrying an old-fashioned rifle, silently jumped down from the tree and, once again stepping into the shadows, turned into a gust of wind, beginning to infiltrate the villa...
.....
Meanwhile.
A few kilometers away from Qin Cheng’s villa, a transport truck was also making its way toward Qin Cheng’s villa.
Inside the cargo compartment of the truck were a dozen or so young men holding guns, excitedly gesturing to each other.
They wore uniform black knitted balaclava hats and patchwork tactical vests that were old and worn, with a big red cross spray-painted on the chest, clearly members of the United Front...
Among them, a young man standing in the center, was vigorously pep-talking everyone, "This time, it’s a mission arranged by the higher-ups! Let us eliminate a person who poses a significant threat to the organization!"
"He not only killed two of our members but also disrupted the organization’s various plans!"
"The higher-ups have promised that if we successfully kill him, we can receive a lot of rewards! Leave this broken planning district and move to the [Holy District]!"
"Good!" Hearing the leader’s enticing promises, the dozen or so young men present were all greatly inspired!
They waved their guns, as if they could see that brilliant and splendid future....
...
At the same time, inside the villa.
Qin Cheng was clearly still harboring a sliver of hope for Qiu Tu.
So, when Qiu Tu asked him for a birthday gift, he didn’t play any tricks but went upstairs to the safe to retrieve a small golden horse and brought it down holding it in both hands.
After placing the small golden horse in front of Qiu Tu, Qin Cheng said with a forced smile, "Chief Qiu, this is a small golden horse, I wish you a happy birthday and may you achieve immediate success!"
Hearing Qin Cheng’s incongruous blessing, Qiu Tu smiled and picked up the small golden horse to admire it.
One had to admit, it was exquisitely crafted and hefty. Too bad it was... obviously not something a young person would like.
Especially for a teenager...
Thinking this, Qiu Tu laughed and placed the golden horse on the table, then pretending to be greedy, said, "Fifth Master, who gives just one gift in a household?!"
"Haven’t you heard that good things come in pairs?"
"When giving gifts, it’s always done in doubles!"
Seeing Qiu Tu’s appetite growing, Qin Cheng’s expression stiffened slightly.
But, given the situation was stronger than him, after hesitating for a moment, he still forced a smile and said, "You make a good point, a very good point. I’ll go get another one."
After saying that, he went upstairs again, this time with Chen Feng.
Qiu Tu watched Qin Cheng’s retreating figure with an indifferent gaze and shook his head slightly.
It seemed that Old Master Qin had lately been so exhausted by the interrogations of the Security Department that he had lost his coolness and basic judgment.
A teenager like him, at an age full of hot blood, spoiled and doted on by his family. How could he possibly remain this restrained in the face of constant pressure? That was practically an inadvertent confession.
With these thoughts, soon after, Qin Cheng returned with another small golden horse to the living room on the first floor of the villa.
Watching Qin Cheng fawning like a sycophant and bursting with gold coins, Qiu Tu couldn’t help but laugh.
He weighed the two golden horses in his hands, they should be about 600 grams. It was not that his hands were accurate, but rather... the weight was marked underneath the horses.
A small goldfish is roughly 31 grams of gold, equivalent to 200 Silver Yuan.
And these two golden horses amounted to 20 small goldfish. Nearly 4000 Silver Yuan, roughly equivalent to the purchasing power of 3.2 million RMB.
On the surface, Qiu Tu remained expressionless, but inside he clicked his tongue in admiration.
It was just like Old Master Qin to be so wealthy. A casual "greeting gift" was almost worth as much as the cash Master Qin Si carried with him when he fled.
While thinking this, Qiu Tu played with the two golden horses as if he couldn’t put them down.
After fidgeting with them for a while, Qiu Tu put down the two small golden horses and looked at Qin Cheng again, with a leg propped up, smiling and saying, "Not enough."
At that moment, Qin Cheng’s entire face changed.
-----
Today, there will still be three updates of ten thousand words, guys. As per the old rules, first two updates, and the third will be around 19:00. Please subscribe, and ask for Monthly Tickets!