Chapter 387: Taking Advantage

After calming herself down, Old Madame Wei finally realized that she was not dreaming.

“Why do you think that he accepted it so easily this time?” Old Madame Wei asked, feeling confused.

“He was acting slightly unusual today,” Old Mister Wei pointed out.

“Do you think it’s related to the slap mark on his face this morning?” Old Madame Wei suddenly recalled the slap mark.

After contemplating, a sudden epiphany hit Old Mister Wei, and so he replied, “There are times when young people are burning with pa.s.sionate fire. Let’s not pry into his personal affairs.

“Perhaps it was for this reason that he thought it was time to date someone and get married…” A healthy, single man could easily find himself burned up with pa.s.sion after all.

“And since you mentioned it, he must have gone with the flow and agreed,” Old Mister Wei explained.

“That must be it.” Old Madame Wei nodded. “I have a headache thinking about all this. Let’s put it aside for now. I should arrange the time and place for their date promptly.”

Wei Zhiqian’s willingness to go on a blind date was a good start. It was a great leap forward toward the path of success.

…

Qin Mufeng headed back to the hot springs villas early in the morning without having breakfast at the Qin Mansion. Without taking any detours, he headed straight for Qin Muye’s villa.

The aroma of delicious food rushed to his nostrils right after he entered the door.

As soon as he stepped into the dining area, Ming Yeqing could be seen sitting with Tan Mo and Qin Muye. Waves of laughter filled the atmosphere as the trio enjoyed their breakfast.

Qin Mufeng became apopleptic at the sight of this.

He wondered how his absence for a night had ended up this way.

The nerve of Ming Yeqing, who had taken advantage of him being away.

“Whoa, brother! You’re early today. Have you eaten?” Qin Muye asked.

At her question, Qin Mufeng thought, there’s still a kindness in her I must say. At least she cares enough to ask. “Not yet. I went back to the mansion last night. But I left without having breakfast this morning.”

Right then, Qin Muye took a clean set of flatware out of the cabinet and placed them in front of Qin Mufeng.

Qin Mufeng sat down opposite Ming Yeqing. He remained silent as it would be inappropriate to shoo a guest away.

Without delay, he grabbed a croissant and tore off a small piece. Just as he was putting b.u.t.ter on it, Qin Muye questioned, “Brother, what were you doing back at the mansion?”

“Qin Murong was the one who put the idea of harming Tan Mo into Wei Keli’s head. She was also the person responsible for sending that strange man into your villa. She was the one who contacted Wei Keli as well. Fortunately, that man was stopped by Zhiqian, who then sent his men as replacements.

“However, there were solid pieces of evidence that indicated Qin Murong’s involvement in the incident,” Qin Mufeng explained. “Wei family members sent Butler Zhu and Butler Zhou to detain Wei Keli and take him back to the manor last night. Of course, Zhiqian followed them too. As for me, I apprehended Qin Murong and Qin Muxiao and took them back to the Qin Mansion.”

“What? Uncle also left last night?” Tan Mo was surprised. “He didn’t even inform me.”

“It was to avoid being seen by other guests. This was a covert operation. No one was allowed to cause a stir and attract attention. That was why I didn’t tell Muye about it last night either but came here first thing this morning to fill you in on the details,” Qin Mufeng clarified.

“Is Uncle back here already?” Tan Mo asked.

“I saw his parents earlier when I came here, but I didn’t see him around,” Qin Mufeng replied nonchalantly without giving it much thought.

Wei Zhiqian would definitely make it back here if he knew Tan Mo was around.

Upon hearing that, Tan Mo nodded and decided to look for Wei Zhiqian after finis.h.i.+ng her breakfast.

“By the way, what happened to Wei Keli, Qin Murong, and Qin Muxiao?” Qin Muye questioned out of curiosity.

“The Wei family exacted corporal punishment on Wei Keli,” Qin Mufeng answered.

“What was the Wei family’s corporal punishment like?” A long time ago, Tan Mo had ended her high school leaving examinations early and headed to the hospital to look after Wei Zhiqian. But her unrestricted use of her healing powers had caused her to suffer from fever and she had blacked out.

At that time, the Wei family’s patriarch and matriarch had ordered corporal punishment to be carried out on Wei Zhiqian, who had just awakened from a coma.

Although Tan Mo had been out cold the entire time, Xu Mingzhen had told her all about it after she regained consciousness.

Nevertheless, she had kept her questions regarding the Wei family’s corporal punishment at the back of her mind afterward.

But now her interest was piqued after Qin Mufeng brought it up.

“It’s whipping. However, the whip was specially made by the Wei family. There are many tiny spikes on the leather. You can imagine it to be something like a cactus.” Qin Mufeng described it.

It was Qin Muye’s first time hearing that as well.

Upon hearing Qin Mufeng’s words, Qin Muye drew a deep breath. “I can’t imagine what would happen to the flesh of the person who was whipped like that.”

No wonder it had become the Wei family’s corporal punishment.

“Old Mister Wei punished Wei Keli with ten lashes,” Qin Mufeng commented.”

“He was whipped?” Tan Mo was taken aback.

Noticing that Tan Mo was shocked and not especially compa.s.sionate, Qin Mufeng chortled. “Of course. They had to set an example. Otherwise, others might think they won’t have to pay the price of their wrongdoings.

“In a way, it’s also a means to restrict people,” Qin Mufeng added. “You don’t want there to be bad eggs in such a prominent family with nothing to restrain them.

“It’s only by instilling fear in them that they will think about the consequences before doing something depraved in the name of the family.

“Anyone who hears about their corporal punishment will have chills running down their spines, not only the Wei family members.” Qin Mufeng curled his lips into a smile.

“Ten lashes!” Qin Muye shook her head and felt speechless. “Wouldn’t that coward have been terrified and pa.s.sed out upon hearing that?”

“He did cry his eyes out and beg for mercy. But the patriarch and matriarch have always loved Tan Mo more than him. Furthermore, the fact that he schemed to do nasty things to Tan Mo had them bursting with anger. So they showed him no clemency, despite his parents continuously imploring them. Butler Zhu was the one who executed the ten lashes.”

Right then, a thought suddenly crossed Qin Mufeng’s mind, and he burst into laughter. “Initially, Zhiqian was worried that Wei Keli’s family might hold grudges against Butler Zhu. That was on top of being concerned about the latter’s aging physique. So Wei Zhiqian even offered to finish the execution of the lashes himself.”

Having heard that, Qin Muye gaped at him and exclaimed, “Was Brother Zhiqian trying to finish Wei Keli off?”

Qin Mufeng couldn’t stand listening to his sister say Brother Zhiqian.

At that, his brows twitched a little. After regaining his composure, he replied, “However, Zhiqian is supposed to be the next patriarch. It won’t be in his best interests to offend Wei Keli’s family. Butler Zhu must be worried that they might plot against him in secret.”

Tan Mo’s heart skipped a beat at his words. Somehow, she suddenly recalled the fateful event when Wei Zhiqian had been injured.

“As it was also Old Mister Wei’s will, Butler Zhu finished the remaining lashes by himself,” Qin Mufeng noted.

“Butler Zhu loves Mo Mo a lot too,” Qin Muye stated the fact confidently.

Qin Mufeng nodded. “That was why Butler Zhu didn’t go easy on Wei Keli. The latter fainted before the punishment finished. Even though his parents begged the patriarch and matriarch to annul the remaining lashes, the latter insisted that the punishment be carried out fully. Despite Wei Keli pa.s.sing out, Butler Zhu went all out on the last few lashes. After that, Wei Keli was sent to the hospital. Rumor has it that he was wailing in the hospital after he regained consciousness at dawn.”

Tan Mo, Qin Muye, and Ming Yeqing had no empathy for Wei Keli. In fact, they even gloated over his misfortune and laughed nonchalantly.