"Come here, push him away and let him stay where he belongs," Tianyi commanded.
The accompanying nurse immediately pushed the wheelchair, taking Qin Zhaoye away from the restaurant.
But Qin Zhaoye continued to curse, "Unfilial son! Scum! You are not my son, I have never had a son like you..."
Someone wanted to speak up for Qin Zhaoye, but Qin Tianyi said emotionlessly, "Anyone who isn't afraid of suffering the same fate can continue to make a scene for me."
Thinking of how Qin Tianyi could cripple his own father and keep him confined long-term, the Qin family elders dared not utter another word.
They all pretended as if nothing had happened and sat down.
Tianyi signaled the host to continue the birthday banquet. Those with ulterior motives would not be allowed to disrupt his children's celebration.
After tonight, he would settle accounts with them.
The birthday banquet proceeded smoothly as planned. After it ended, Susu asked Xiaomei and Sophie to take the two children and Xiao Xingxing home first.
She and Tianyi saw off the guests, and their close friends were all worried for them.
However, Tianyi calmly reassured everyone that everything was fine. An Jing, as he was leaving, told him, "If the Qin family tries to cause trouble again, let me know. I've recovered quite well and can go back to work."
"It's fine. The people from the Qin family have been fighting with me for so many years, dealing with them is second nature. You should spend more time with Lan Yu and recover from your injuries," Tianyi said, patting his shoulder.
An Jing hesitated, then looked at Susu. Remembering something, he said, "After the police found Xiaoxiao, they sent her to a local orphanage. We are applying for adoption procedures. If all goes smoothly, we will see Xiaoxiao in about two months."
"That's wonderful," Susu said, looking at Lan Yu. "But you have your own child now. Won't it be too much to take care of two children then?"
"It's fine," Lan Yu smiled. "Taking care of one child is the same as taking care of two. When Xiaoxiao comes, she'll be a companion to our own child, and it will be easier to raise them together."
Susu nodded and accompanied Tianyi to see them off at the main entrance before returning to the restaurant.
By then, the restaurant was empty, with only a few waiters cleaning the tables.
Tianyi found an empty seat and sat down, finally shedding his cold demeanor.
When his father cursed him as a degenerate son, saying he shouldn't have been born, his heart was bleeding.
He could never understand why, despite being his biological son like Tianlang, their standing in his father's eyes was so vastly different.
Susu walked to his side, unsure how to comfort him, but understanding the source of his pain.
Even though he always claimed to be completely disillusioned with the Qin family and Qin Zhaoye, the bond of blood was not something he could easily sever.
His desire to bring down the Qin Corporation, controlled by his father, was ostensibly to avenge his mother and for the Xiao family, but on a deeper level, it was to gain his father's attention and approval.
Yet, he had never received a shred of familial affection or recognition from his father, which was likely the most painful aspect for him.
Susu let him sit in silence for a while before softly asking, "Should we continue to stay here, or go back first?"
Tianyi snapped back to reality, realizing he had been greedy.
Now that he had a wife and children and a happy family, he had foolishly hoped for the blessings of his father and the rest of the Qin family. It was an absolute joke.
"Not yet. I need to see the person in charge here."
Susu asked, "Because of what happened with Huang Xiuli just now?"
Tianyi nodded. "Clearly, someone in this restaurant was bribed, otherwise Huang Xiuli wouldn't have been mixed in with the waiters. And the person who was bribed didn't want things to escalate too much, so they didn't tell Huang Xiuli that the hot pot being served was cold, not hot."
"You mean Huang Xiuli originally intended to throw the scalding hot pot at the two children?" Susu gasped, unable to imagine how terrible it would have been if that had happened.
Tianyi pointed to a waiter and said, "Go and call your manager. Tell him that if he doesn't find the person who colluded with Huang Xiuli, I will have this entire restaurant shut down immediately."
The waiter nervously agreed and hurried off to fetch their manager.
...
Susu accompanied Tianyi to deal with the restaurant matters, and it was already late at night.
As Qin Tianyi had predicted, a shift leader in the restaurant had been bribed by an uncle from the Qin family.
This allowed Huang Xiuli to blend in with the waiters. The shift leader had already been handed over to the police by the restaurant manager.
As for Tianyi's uncle, the police would find him once their investigation was complete.
After leaving the restaurant, Tianyi remained silent in the car.
Susu could sense his suppressed anger and, fearing he was too distressed, said, "Your uncle probably wanted to use Huang Xiuli to cause a scene and get a cut from the Qin family's remaining assets..."
Qin Tianyi rubbed his forehead. "I'm afraid it's not that simple. This uncle used to vie for power with the old lady but didn't win. He seemed to have let go of everything and lived off a small inheritance, but in reality, he never gave up. His son, when he was young, started a company under the Qin family's name, and at that time, he had an unusual relationship with Xie Zhendong."
Susu listened, feeling a bit lost, but after thinking carefully, she understood something. She asked, "Are you saying that Xie Zhendong is the one truly pulling the strings? He went through all this trouble just to deal with us."
Tianyi hugged her, looking somewhat weary. "That's my guess, but if it is indeed Xie Zhendong, then tonight is just the beginning. We need to be extra careful from now on, and we must bring back the bodyguards. Especially when you and the children go out, you must have bodyguards with you."
"Okay, I understand. I'll be careful." After tonight's events, Susu also realized that Xie Qining's father was far more cunning than Xie Qining, making it truly impossible to guard against.
Susu then asked, "The person who tried to harm Lan Yu last time was sent by Xie Qining, right? They still haven't found that person, have they? Could he come out and harm someone again?"
"I investigated that person. He opened a small shop selling second-hand luxury goods with Xie Qining's help, but he mainly dealt in smuggled goods. The people investigating him said he probably sensed trouble and fled to lay low." Tianyi wasn't worried about this person. "As long as he dares to return to Lancheng, we'll definitely catch him."
"That's good."
"Xie Qining isn't scary; he can only resort to petty, underhanded tricks." Tianyi said thoughtfully, "The truly terrifying one is Xie Zhendong. We'll wait for the results of this investigation."
Susu leaned into his embrace, her heart aching. She asked, "I'm truly scared. Fortunately, that shift leader who confessed had some conscience. If that pot of hot pot had really been boiling hot soup, you and the children could have been injured. Are you really alright? Is there anywhere you're feeling uncomfortable?"
Tianyi said seriously, "There is indeed one place that's uncomfortable."
"Where?"
He took Susu's hand and placed it over his heart. "Here. Help me rub it properly when we get home."