"I'm fine, quickly go check what's missing from the study..."
Old Master Qin looked up at Qin Bing and shook his head!
For some reason, he suddenly felt a sense of unease.
Without further ado, he directly spoke to Qin Bing.
After Old Master Qin finished speaking, the Qin family members also wasted no time and began inspecting the treasures in the study.
The Qin family was originally a prominent jade family in Xiling!
And Old Master Qin was an avid collector, so most of the items collected in this study were jade pieces favored by him!
"Oh my god! The Purple Crystal Jade Pendant is broken!"
At this moment, Qin Bing, not far away, saw a jade pendant shattered into pieces on the ground and let out a startled cry.
Swish, swish!
Hearing Qin Bing's startled cry, Ye Fei immediately turned his head to look.
The moment he looked, Ye Fei's expression froze!
Because Ye Fei was surprised to find that the Purple Crystal Jade Pendant, which was now broken into several pieces on the ground, was precisely the "hidden weapon" that the man in black had used to attack him earlier!
At that time, Ye Fei hadn't seen it clearly and had dodged instinctively.
"What? The Purple Crystal Jade Pendant... broken?"
Old Master Qin had been fine before hearing Qin Bing, but upon hearing her words, his entire body swayed, almost falling over!
"Dad! Dad, are you okay?"
At this moment, Qin Bing's mother rushed over to support Old Master Qin, speaking anxiously.
"I'm... fine... I'm fine..."
Old Master Qin pushed away Qin Bing's mother, his face deathly pale, and staggered forward.
Thump!
When he reached Qin Bing's side and looked at the shattered Purple Crystal Jade Pendant, his legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground!
"Grandpa! Grandpa!"
Qin Bing immediately held Old Master Qin, calling out anxiously.
"It's over! Our Qin family... is finished... truly finished..."
Old Master Qin ignored Qin Bing's cries, and sat on the ground, as if his soul had left his body, murmuring to himself.
Ye Fei hadn't seen this scene before, but now that he did, his confusion deepened!
What was going on?
Then, Ye Fei's gaze fell upon the so-called Purple Crystal Jade Pendant!
Although, with Ye Fei's discerning eye, he could tell that the Purple Crystal Jade Pendant was extremely valuable.
However, even if it was worth over a hundred million, the Qin family's wealth shouldn't warrant such an exaggerated reaction, right?
At this moment, Ye Fei turned to look at the other members of the Qin family.
He couldn't believe his eyes!
Because Ye Fei discovered that it wasn't just Old Master Qin; everyone else in the Qin family also had ashen faces and looks of despair!
"Uh... may I boldly ask, what's the origin of this Purple Crystal Jade Pendant?"
Ye Fei stood there pondering for a long time, unable to figure out the key to the situation.
Subsequently, Ye Fei's gaze fell on Qin Bing, and he asked.
"Brother-in-law, this Purple Crystal Jade Pendant is an artifact from the Qin Dynasty, worth nearly two hundred million... Now that it's suddenly broken, what should we do!"
Qin Bing looked at Ye Fei, her voice choked with emotion.
"An artifact from the Qin Dynasty, worth nearly two hundred million?"
Ye Fei's gaze fell on the shattered Purple Crystal Jade Pendant in Old Master Qin's hand, and he was quite surprised.
Was this thing really that valuable?
Then, Ye Fei's gaze fell on Qin Bing again, and he asked, "Um... even if this so-called Purple Crystal Jade Pendant is really worth two hundred million, your vast Qin family shouldn't be unable to afford it, right?"
"Besides, isn't this Purple Crystal Jade Pendant just Old Master Qin's collection? If it's broken, it's broken, just consider that two hundred million down the drain..."
Ye Fei slowly voiced his confusion.
Unexpectedly, his words only served to agitate Old Master Qin even more!
"You don't understand anything! Do you think I'm heartbroken over two hundred million? This Purple Crystal Jade Pendant determines the fate of my Qin family for the next hundred years!"
"The night after tomorrow, there will be a top-tier family and wealthy elite banquet in Xiling City! And a mysterious wealthy boss from the 'City Within a City' has specifically requested to buy this Purple Crystal Jade Pendant from me! As a condition, he is willing to bestow a 'City Within a City' quota upon my Qin family!"
"The 'City Within a City' is a sacred place that all families in Xiling City desire to inhabit! Previously, families have spent immense wealth but still failed to secure even the worst spot in the 'City Within a City'..."
Then, Old Master Qin looked at Ye Fei and spoke loudly.
As Old Master Qin narrated, Ye Fei simply listened quietly!
At first, Ye Fei was very confused as to what was happening.
But as Old Master Qin continued to speak, Ye Fei immediately understood!
So, the Qin family wanted to exchange this Purple Crystal Jade Pendant for that 'City Within a City' quota!
And now that the pendant was broken, the quota was naturally lost!
It wasn't just the loss of the pendant; it was likely that the 'City Within a City' boss would think the Qin family was playing a trick on him!
The consequences of angering such a revered and feared figure by countless wealthy families in Xiling City would be unbearable for the entire Qin family!
No wonder! No wonder Old Master Qin had such a dejected and heartbroken expression!
Then, Ye Fei's mind went back to the female thief in black from earlier!
This meant that the female thief was likely after this Purple Crystal Jade Pendant!
It seemed that some people were envious of this 'City Within a City' quota and were deliberately targeting the Qin family!
After Old Master Qin finished speaking, he didn't linger in the study. He picked up the broken pieces of the Purple Crystal Jade Pendant and walked out like a walking corpse!
The Qin family members also followed him, their faces ashen and filled with worry!
Ye Fei wanted to follow and see what was happening, but he realized it didn't seem to concern him!
Even if he hadn't been in the study to "steal" the jade, the Purple Crystal Jade Pendant would have been stolen by the female thief in black.
Subsequently, Ye Fei glanced at the Qin family members twice before returning to his room to sleep.
Sigh!
This annulled engagement... was really goddamn convoluted!
Ye Fei thought to himself, shook his head, and didn't dwell on it any further.
The night passed uneventfully. The next morning, Ye Fei woke up and as soon as he opened his door, he saw Qin Bing sitting in the pavilion by the artificial lake, lost in thought.
"Sister, you're up so early?"
Ye Fei walked to the pavilion and greeted Qin Bing, who was spacing out.
"Holy crap! Sister, why are you crying? Your eyes are so swollen... Don't tell me you didn't sleep all night?"
However, as soon as Ye Fei finished speaking, he saw tears rolling down Qin Bing's cheeks, dripping onto the lake in front of her.
Instantly, Ye Fei's expression stiffened, and he rushed over.
"Brother-in-law, tell me why? Why is fate treating our Qin family like this?"
Qin Bing turned to look at Ye Fei, and the hot tears in her eyes flowed even more profusely.
"What?"
Ye Fei's expression froze, and he instinctively replied.
"Brother-in-law, do you know? Our Qin family was originally one of the thirteen branches of the powerful Qin clan in Jiangdong... but because of some mistakes Grandpa made in the past, we were removed from the thirteen branches."
"You said before that my sister was hiding over there to avoid the annulment of her engagement... but that's not the case. She was forced into it, with no choice!"
"My sister has sacrificed so much for our entire Qin family! Originally, entering the 'City Within a City' this time was an opportunity for our Qin family to regain recognition from the powerful Qin clan in Jiangdong."
"But who would have thought that at the last moment, such a thing would happen... What should I do! What should I do! Wuwuwu! Wuwuwu!"
As Qin Bing spoke, she could no longer control her emotions and threw herself into Ye Fei's arms, sobbing loudly.
"Holy crap! Bingbing sister, don't cry, don't cry... you'll be less pretty if you keep crying. It's that convoluted?"
Ye Fei's expression stiffened, and he instinctively patted Qin Bing's back, never expecting that the Qin family was actually an abandoned branch!
Furthermore, the fact that Qin Lan had gone to Jiangdong under duress, sacrificing herself for the family, came as a surprise to Ye Fei.
"Wuwuwu! Wuwuwu! Brother-in-law, I feel so useless! With the family in such a state, all the burdens are carried by Grandpa and the beauties, and I can't help at all. I'm useless! So useless!"
There were things that Qin Bing had never been able to tell anyone before.
But at this moment, with the family in despair, she could no longer contain her emotions and poured out her sorrow to Ye Fei.