Qi Han gave a cold smile. When people turned vicious, they could cease to be human at all.  

In his past life, he hadn’t made it back in time. His parents were honest and simple people, his younger siblings were still children, and none of them could hold their ground. With his uncle’s family fanning the flames on the side, his family had been completely manipulated by the other party.  

Since they never saw him return, his parents truly believed something had happened to him during the delivery, causing him to fail to deliver the goods on time. Left with no choice, they had no option but to accept the blame.  

The other party, however, made an exorbitant demand. Claiming that the delayed delivery had harmed their interests, they demanded compensation of 20,000 yuan.  

Twenty thousand yuan!  

Not two yuan, not two hundred or two thousand, but an astonishingly huge sum!  

The previous large order of 5,000 yuan had already been equivalent to the Qi family’s income for an entire year, let alone a compensation of 20,000 yuan.  

The Qi family was indeed well-off, a respectable merchant household, but coming up with 20,000 yuan in one go was still a stretch.  

The Qi family was in the woodcarving business, which naturally required stocking up on wood materials. High-quality wood was expensive, so the liquid assets in the family’s accounts were far from sufficient.  

But the situation was urgent. If they didn’t pay, the other party would sue them. With the eldest branch of the family constantly pressuring them to avoid further trouble, Qi Yuanhua and his wife had no choice but to compromise.  

And they had to compromise.  

The other party had brought a large group of men, all with fierce expressions, clearly not good people. These men camped outside their shop day and night, making life unbearable for the neighbors, who complained incessantly.  

If this continued, not only would the neighbors suffer, but the shop’s business would also be ruined. Any customer who tried to enter would be scared off by these men.  

By all accounts, the Qi family was at fault. After all, they had signed the contract but failed to deliver on time.  

Clutching his chest, Father Qi gasped, “I’ve never had any grudge against that Xu fellow. Why would they do this? Just for money and lives?”  

Qi Yuanhua couldn’t believe it. His heart was filled with doubt. If the goal was money, why did they have to take his son’s life?  

These weren’t the feudal times anymore, where people could act with impunity. Taking a life would demand retribution.  

There were countless ways to extort money—there was no need to involve a life-threatening scheme.  

Qi Han scoffed. “It’s simple. Someone bribed them because our family’s existence was blocking someone’s path to success.”  

“Who? Who wants to harm us?” Father Qi demanded agitatedly, his eyes bloodshot.  

Though an honest man, he had his limits and temper.  

“…” Qi Han fell silent, his expression dark as he looked at his father.  

Mother Qi grew anxious. “Xiao Han, just say it! Who hates us so much?”  

Qi Han gritted his teeth, fists clenched, his eyes filled with venom. Even after living a second life, the memories of those people’s actions still filled him with rage.  

Qin Tianru, knowing how upset her partner was, spoke up. “It’s the eldest branch of the family.”  

“What?!” The couple sat frozen in their chairs, stunned.

This answer was completely beyond their expectations, shattering their understanding of the situation.  

“Impossible! Why would Big Brother do this? We’re brothers!”  

Father Qi looked dazed, still unable to accept the truth.  

He couldn’t understand—why?