4. Attack

Xufan and Qin Cheng gracefully got up from their seats and welcomed the couple. " Dad, Mom, welcome" they said in union.

Qin Yichen slowly nodded in acknowledgement while Shuang Xiao immediately smiled and thanked her son only. 

Xufan's heart fluttered as she forced a smile.

XuFan focused her gaze once more on her husband and slowly chewed her food. 

She was determined to keep the evening as pleasant as possible, even as a storm brewed within her.

"XuFan, how is the charity ball preparations coming along?" Qin Cheng asked, as he took a bite of his meal.

XuFan's heart leapt. She had been waiting for the perfect moment to talk about this and it had finally arrived. "Actually, I have a question for dad" she began, placing down her cutlery carefully.

"Mom had given me an invitation list where the Gu and Fu families name were apart of the chosen families to be invited to the year-end charity ball. I know they're not exactly on good terms with you, so I wanted to clarify."

Qin Yichen frowned deeply, and for a moment, Xufan thought she had crossed a line.

Suddenly, Shuang Xiao stammered"I thought it would be a great opp-ortunity to promote peace between all of us. Hunny, You know the-ir family businesses will be bene-ficial to Ah Cheng in the future wh-en he takes over from you."

Qin Yichen continued to eat as if no one had spoken to him. It went on in an awkward silence with Shuang Xiao fidgeting uncomfortable in her seat.

Xufan felt happy after seeing Shuang Xiao's panicked face but she refused to let the situation escalate, not here and certainly not now.

"Take them out.", It was said so calmly yet everyone held there breaths.

"Yes father" she wasted no time to reply.

Xu Fan's heart raced, her pulse thrumming in her ears. This was the Qin Yichen she had heard of.He didn't need to shout to get everyone's attention.

That is why her interactions with him has been less than ten in the year she has lived with the Qin family.

As the head of the Qin family, Qin Yichen had a lot of responsibilities so he was not always at home. She had overheard the servants gossiping that he was only here once a month to fulfill his marital duties only. 

His sharp features were set in a stern expression, his gaze piercing even through the lens. It was said he rarely smiled, that his heart was as cold as the steel of the empire he commanded.

But Xu Fan saw something else. Beneath the icy exterior, there was something else. Perhaps, just perhaps, they could understand each other.

Before anyone could eat another bite, Qin Yichen suddenly put down his utensils and wiped his mouth. " If you have any futher problems, just come to me directly.I'll be here tomorrow".

Before Xu Fan could even answer, Qin Yichen had already left the table with a frantic Shuang Xiao behind him.

Realizing that she was left alone with Qin cheng, she hurriedly exused herself with the excuse that she had to finish the Charity plan to report to her father-in-law tomorrow. 

Xu Fan really stayed up late fixing the plan, where she found some interesting details that she could use to give her mother-in-law and scum husband a second attack.

The next day, Xu Fan dressed with care, selecting a form-fitting dress that accentuated her curves without being overt. Her makeup was subtle, enhancing her natural beauty rather than masking it. She needed to appear approachable, yet untouchable.

As she descended the grand staircase, her heels clicked on the polished wood, each step a declaration of her intent. She paused at the entrance to the study, hesitating only briefly before knocking on the door. Without waiting for approval to enter she pushed the door open.

Qin Yichen looked up from his desk, his brows knitting together at the unexpected intrusion. "Yes?" His tone was crisp, dismissive.

Xu Fan stepped forward, her smile calm and confident. "I hope I'm not interrupting, Father. I was hoping we could talk."

He leaned back in his chair, regarding her with those piercing eyes. "About what?"

"About... the upcoming charity dinner again. Mother said I was to be incontrol but there are some things I don't understand and you told me to find you if I had anymore queries."

Knowing her Mother-in-law wanted her to humiliate her and use the situation to instigate a divorce between her and her husband, Xu Fan decided she would completely destroy their image in Qun Yichen's eyes no matter what.

Qin Yichen looked up from his documents and a hint of curiosity flickering across his face. He had never conversed with his daughter-in-law apart from greeting her and yesterday's exchange. He didn't think she would really come to find him but here she was entering his office just to ask about the charity ball again.

"And what exactly do you need my input on?"

Taking a deep breath, she closed the distance between them, sitting on the chair facing him.

Xu Fan hesitated for a moment before finally speaking up, her voice steady but laced with the weight of her words. "I've been meaning to tell you something for a while now," she began, looking her father-in-law directly in the eye. "It's about mother. I discovered that she has been laundering money from the previous charity events that she organized."

Qin Yichen's expression shifted from confusion to shock. "Laundering money? What do you mean?" he asked, his tone incredulous.

"I noticed discrepancies in the financial records," Xu Fan continued, choosing her words carefully. "Large sums of money were being funneled into accounts that have nothing to do with the charity. I called an accountant fried of mines and we traced the transactions back to mother. She's been moving the money to other offshore accounts. I didn't want to believe it at first, but the evidence is all there."

Qin Yichen ran a hand through his hair, trying to process the information. "And... Qin Cheng? He doesn't know about this, does he?"

Xu Fan shook her head slightly, a look of pity crossing her face. "He knows. I mean it seems he has known all along." 

"I see. If that's all then I'll take care of it. You continue with event as planned."

Xu Fan nodded, a lil confused. She expected a bigger reaction.

As she stood, preparing to leave, Qin Yichen's voice stopped her.

"One more thing, tell your Mother-in-law to come see me now."

Xu Fan was exicted, her plan was working." Okay Father."

She bowed and left the study to call her Mother-in-law.