Although Ming Jiu thought this way, he didn't dare to say it out loud.
After all, it was his master's business, and it wasn't his place to speculate too much.
"Master, shouldn't we inform General Qin about this?"
"If you tell General Qin what you plan to do, he might be able to help."
Xuanyuan Yan had considered telling Qin Yuchuan about his plans.
But his current situation was already precarious, and if he aroused Xuanyuan Sheng's suspicion because of this, things could get even worse.
The Qin family had been loyal for generations, and he couldn't let them get involved.
He also didn't want to end up at odds with him later, so having him leave Shengjing was already the best choice.
"We don't need to discuss this further. I've already considered it. Arrange the tasks I've assigned you now, and let's return to the mansion."
With ten days left until Spring Festival, Feng Qingyi's family sat in the SUV driven by Feng Zhixing, heading back to their hometown.
Their hometown was a place called Huaixi Village.
Huaixi Village was located very far from Jiang City, about a ten-hour drive away.
Because the journey required multiple transfers, it was extremely time-consuming.
Additionally, with too many people returning home at the end of the year, tickets were sold out, so driving was their only option.
Along the way, they drove from the bustling city to the deserted outskirts.
Feng Qingci sat in the back seat playing offline games, while Feng Qingyi closed her eyes to rest.
In the front, a certain singer turned off the car's music, saying he wanted to sing a couple of songs acapella.
However, he forgot the lyrics halfway through and started improvising, making up words that somehow still rhymed.
A particularly enthusiastic listener in the car might have applauded vigorously if he wasn't holding the steering wheel.
On a road with little traffic, this car was definitely the liveliest presence.
"Singing is no fun, let's play Truth or Dare instead!" Nan Yin suggested.
Feng Zhixing was very supportive, "Okay."
Feng Qingyi also knew that once those two agreed, her and Feng Qingci's opinions didn't matter anymore.
Nan Yin explained the rules.
"Each round, you can choose anyone to ask them a question, and they must answer. If they don't, they have to give everyone else 100 yuan each."
Feng Qingci felt like they were targeting him, after all, he was the only poor one in the family.
The two in front aside, the one next to him had quite a sum from years of New Year's money and various competition prizes.
A few hundred yuan was nothing to them, but for him, it was a week's worth of food money.
"I think this is unfair. I don't agree."
Nan Yin said, "Your objection is overruled. You have to agree even if you don't want to."
"There's one more rule: you can't lie. If you're caught, the punishment doubles."
"Now let's begin. I'll go first. I'll ask Qingci, what's the difference between having a girlfriend and not having one?"
"Oh, the difference is huge. Now I'm in a good mood every day, and even my quality of life has improved."
Feng Qingyi added, "Actually, you don't need to sound so high and mighty. You found a rich girlfriend, and if you work hard, you might be able to marry a rich beauty and reach the peak of life."
Nan Yin said, "You should really cherish a girl who's willing to spend money on you. You might not find another one like her."
"You pass. Now you choose someone to ask a question."
Feng Qingci looked at Feng Qingyi, "I want to know when you and that Qin guy are going to break up!"
Although he had helped pay the compensation last time, it didn't mean he thought Qin was suitable for Feng Qingyi.
Besides, he was already 25 years old, there would definitely be a generation gap when they communicate.
Feng Qingyi glanced at him sideways, "Can't you expect something good for me?"
"Mom, Dad, she's actually in an online relationship, and her boyfriend is a 25-year-old old man," Feng Qingci tattled.
Nan Yin spoke up, "If 25 is an old man, then what about your dad who's about to turn 50? An elderly man?"
"Mom, aren't you going to do something about this? I think it's unreliable, she might be getting scammed," Feng Qingci insisted on his view.
Bringing up this topic, Feng Zhixing asked, "Qingyi, do you know what his family does for a living?"
"I think they sell antiques, doing some antique business." It seemed she had to come up with a credible identity for him.
"Selling antiques! Did he tell you that?" This indeed sounded a bit unreliable.
To make her story more convincing, Feng Qingyi stretched out her hand, showing the bracelet Xuanyuan Xi had given her.
"Yes, he gave me a jade pendant, and his mother even gave me a jade bracelet."
Feng Qingci: "You've even met his mother? When did this happen?"
"It's been a while, we just happened to meet."
Nan Yin: "Qingyi, let me see your bracelet."
Feng Qingyi took off the bracelet and handed it to Nan Yin.
Nan Yin examined it carefully. The bracelet wasn't bulky, but rather a very delicate type.
Her own bracelets worth over a million yuan each didn't seem to be of as good quality as this one. This must be quite valuable.
"Qingyi, how could you casually accept such valuable gifts from others? What are you planning to give in return?"
"...He said it was a gift from an elder and couldn't be refused, so I accepted it."
Nan Yin returned the bracelet to Feng Qingyi.
"Since it's already been given to you, keep it safe. But in the future, don't accept such expensive things from others. When we get back, buy something as a return gift."
"This can't happen again in the future. You're only dating now, you need to mind your boundaries."
"Feng Qingci, you too. How can you always spend other people's money? Next year, I'll have your dad give you more allowance."
After this incident, they didn't continue the Truth or Dare game.
Feng Qingyi reflected on herself, realizing she had indeed been negligent in not preparing New Year's gifts for them.
If they were going back to the village, she could only buy something in the town.
But the town didn't have a wide variety of options, so it seemed online shopping was the only choice.
She checked the delivery service and fortunately, it wasn't suspended during this period. Otherwise, she might have had to buy food from the supermarket as gifts.
Yan Yang might like those food items, but others might not.
Speaking of buying gifts, Feng Qingyi suddenly remembered something – the birthday gift she had prepared for Qin Yuchuan was still in her studio!
If worse comes to worst, she'd have to let him go pick it up himself. There was no time to paint a new one now, not to mention the issue with the paints.
For now, she'd better ask Qin Yuchuan about his family members' preferences to better choose gifts.
[Feng Qingyi: Are you busy now?]
[Qin Yuchuan: Give me a moment, about 15 minutes.]
[Feng Qingyi: Alright.]
Feng Qingyi could sense that Qin Yuchuan had been quite busy lately.
When they video-called, she could see how exhausted he looked, which was rare in the past.
She didn't want to interfere with whatever he was working on because of her.
If he had replied that he was occupied, she would have waited for him to finish and respond to her message on his own.
