Go To Your Death Chapter 14

Exposed

Lin Jinyao wandered through the art museum for nearly an hour before finally stepping out.

The sunlight outside was piercingly bright, making him squint. He instinctively pulled down the brim of his cap, descended the stairs, and turned to head back toward the hotel.

When he arrived at the hotel, Chen Jin was already waiting in the lobby. Seeing him appear, Chen Jin slowly closed his tablet and stood up to greet him. Was your trip to the museum pleasant?

Not bad, Lin Jinyao replied indifferently, walking past him toward the elevators.

Chen Jin picked up his tablet and followed with a smile, mentioning as if in passing, Mr. Mu called just now. He was very concerned about whether you were tired. He also specifically mentioned a long-standing shop in Hai City that serves excellent crab roe soup dumplings. If you are interested, I can make arrangements.

Another phone call. That old man’s concern was truly omnipresent.

I am not interested. Lin Jinyao pressed the elevator button. The metallic doors reflected his expressionless face as he turned to Chen Jin. I am tired and want to rest.

Very well. Chen Jin said no more, accompanying him all the way to his door. Once he saw Lin Jinyao enter the room, the door was shut with a click and locked from the inside, cutting Chen Jin off.

Chen Jin was somewhat speechless. This little ancestor really didn’t care for him at all.

Lin Jinyao leaned his back against the cold door panel, listening carefully until Chen Jin’s footsteps faded away down the corridor. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

He had too many things tangled in his mind right now, a mess of threads he couldn’t unravel.

More importantly, he didn’t have much time.

Mu Huacheng had only given him two days. Tomorrow evening, Chen Jin would take him back to Xiling Island.

Lin Jinyao paced the room. No, he had to do something before then. He couldn’t just sit and wait for death.

Night fell once again.

Lin Jinyao used the excuse of needing quiet rest to decline dinner service.

It is too quiet. Chen Jin looked toward Lin Jinyao’s room, lost in thought.

He had a feeling this ancestor wouldn’t stay still.

Sure enough, his intuition was correct. At two in the morning, Lin Jinyao opened his eyes, splashed some water on his face, and changed into an all-black tracksuit, a baseball cap, and a black mask.

He took out a hidden backup phone and a set of simple tools.

Avoiding the main entrance and the surveillance cameras, he slipped out of the hotel silently via the emergency fire stairs.

Just after he left, Chen Jin stepped out from the shadows of the fire door. Looking at the retreating figure, he sighed and silently dialed a number.

When Mu Huacheng heard Chen Jin’s report, he laughed instantly. It seemed the warning from earlier that day had gone in one ear and out the other. What a brat. Let him go. Otherwise, he won’t give up.

Mr. Mu, I am afraid Young Master Lin might expose his identity and invite a fatal disaster.

Protect him well.

Yes, sir.

Lin Jinyao was heading to a specific place: the old Zhou family residence that had been uninhabited for a long time. The Zhou family’s old house was not far from the Lin family’s old house.

After Zhou Xubai was marginalized by the Zhou family, he had lived there with Zhou Xuan.

Once Zhou Xubai reached adulthood, he and Zhou Xuan moved out. As Zhou Xuan settled in Xijing, Zhou Xubai eventually rented a place in Longjing Pavilion for the convenience of school and work.

The taxi stopped in the eastern suburbs. Lin Jinyao took cash from his pocket, paid the driver, and began walking up the mountain. The surroundings were silent, with only the streetlights casting a dim, yellow glow.

Half an hour later, Lin Jinyao stopped in front of a gate.

The dilapidated iron gate looked heavily corroded due to years of neglect. The security system installed years ago was now essentially useless, its wiring aged and decayed.

Lin Jinyao skillfully used his tools to open a side window and nimbly flipped inside.

The house was thick with dust, and the air was heavy with the smell of decay. Most of the furniture was covered in white sheets. Not far away, a drawing of a child’s graffiti still sat on an easel—it was Zhou Xubai’s from when he was young.

Relying on his vague memories from middle school and past conversations with Xiao Bai, Lin Jinyao felt his way toward the second-floor study.

The second floor was Zhou Xubai’s forbidden zone. Zhou Xuan was not allowed up there, and Lin Jinyao had only been granted an exception once.

That one time had completely stunned him. The second floor had been covered in various chemical apparatuses, liquids, and scattered books.

Looking at it now, everything was buried under dust.

Lin Jinyao put on the gloves he had prepared and began searching carefully, not missing a single drawer or any book that might hide something.

Time ticked by. Aside from dust, he found nothing.

Had he misjudged? Or had the important items already been cleared out?

He leaned against the desk, rubbing his brow tiredly.

It seemed this trip was in vain.

Just as Lin Jinyao was about to leave, his gaze inadvertently swept over an inconspicuous metal piece on the corner of the desk. Its shape was peculiar, like a twisted flower.

He tried pressing and rotating the metal piece.

Sure enough, there was a soft click.

A slight sound came from the side of the bookshelf.

He walked over and found that a section of the bookshelf had popped open, revealing a hidden compartment.

Inside was a file. When he opened it, he found two paternity test certificates.

Zhou Xuan and Zhou Xubai.

The results showed one at fifty-five percent and the other at over ninety-nine percent.

There was no doubt.

However, the applicant listed at the bottom of both certificates was Zhou Xubai.

At that moment, a piercing beam of car headlights flashed outside the window. The shadows cast by the light hit the bookshelf, putting Lin Jinyao on high alert.

Someone was here.

Lin Jinyao quickly stuffed the reports into his pocket, closed the hidden compartment, and moved to the window to look down.

A black sedan had pulled up silently at the entrance of the Zhou estate. A group of burly men in black suits were quickly exiting the car and heading for the main door.

The leader looked up, his sharp gaze locking right onto Lin Jinyao on the second floor.

Instantly, Lin Jinyao determined these were not Chen Jin’s people.

Get upstairs and catch him! the leader shouted, pointing toward Lin Jinyao’s position.

Lin Jinyao didn’t hesitate. He turned and rushed to the window on the other side of the study, nimbly vaulting out.

Fortunately, it was only the second floor. Lin Jinyao grabbed a pipe on the outer wall, slid down agilely, and landed steadily with a roll.

Almost the moment he hit the ground, the front door of the old house was violently kicked open. Footsteps and low shouts echoed clearly.

Search! He must still be inside!

The backyard! Check the backyard!

Lin Jinyao was like a shadow, darting through the grass and vaulting over the low wall of the backyard, sprinting down the small path.

He ran with all his might, his heart pounding violently. The footsteps and shouts behind him drew closer; they clearly had no intention of letting him go.

Stop!

They were in hot pursuit.

Lin Jinyao was like a nimble black cat in the night, weaving through thickets and alleyways.

Ten minutes later, he vanished into the labyrinthine alleys of a neighboring district. The alleys were complex, filled with the stench of dampness and trash.

It wasn’t until he heard the faint sound of music and voices ahead that Lin Jinyao slowed his pace. Feeling a surge of relief, he rushed out, walked quickly for a few minutes, and then turned to merge into the crowd.

The men tracking him were searching frantically, but half an hour later, they were forced to return empty-handed.

After confirming he had temporarily shaken his tail, Lin Jinyao slipped into a quiet public restroom. He locked himself in a stall and leaned against the cold wall, gasping for air, his back soaked with sweat.

Once he calmed down slightly, he immediately pulled out the backup phone, turned it on, took out the paternity reports, and photographed them. He then encrypted the photos and uploaded them to a cloud storage space known only to him.

Having finished this, his hands skillfully disassembled the phone. He took out the SIM card and snapped it, then crushed the phone casing and battery with his foot, throwing the pieces into different trash cans.

The entire process was terrifyingly calm.

After taking a moment to compose himself, he walked out of the restroom with his head down and hailed a nearby taxi.

To the Sleepless Hotel.

By the time he returned to the hotel lobby, Lin Jinyao’s face had returned to its usual cold indifference.

As expected, Chen Jin was still sitting in the lobby lounge area, seemingly processing documents on his tablet.

Seeing Lin Jinyao walk in, Chen Jin stood up, seemingly letting out a subconscious sigh of relief. Mr. Lin, did you go out for a walk?

Yes, just a stroll to get some fresh air. Lin Jinyao’s tone was flat, showing no signs of anything unusual as he walked straight toward the elevator.

Chen Jin followed behind him without further questioning. However, as Lin Jinyao entered the elevator, Chen Jin seemed to suddenly remember something and said, The night view of Hai City is indeed quite good. However, you should still be careful when going out alone at night. There seemed to be some commotion nearby just now. I heard someone broke into a private residence.

The elevator doors slowly closed. Lin Jinyao glanced at him, acting completely shameless and righteous. Why are you telling me this? It wasn’t me who broke in.

He knew. Chen Jin definitely knew what had happened. But Lin Jinyao simply wouldn’t admit it.

Inside the elevator, the metallic mirror reflected Chen Jin’s twitching lips. This little ancestor really could lie without blinking. If Mr. Lin says it wasn’t him, then it wasn’t. It is late; Mr. Lin should get some rest.

It wasn’t until he was lying in bed that Lin Jinyao truly relaxed. Exhaustion hit him like a tidal wave.

The next day was calm.

Chen Jin didn’t mention anything about the previous night, continuing to arrange his meals and daily life with meticulous care.

Lin Jinyao cooperatively played the role of a taciturn ward, spending most of his time in his room reading or going to the hotel gym. He never mentioned going out again.

At dusk, the helicopter arrived on schedule at the hotel’s rooftop helipad.

The journey back to Xiling Island was exceptionally silent.

Chen Jin didn’t try to strike up a conversation like he had on the way there, and Lin Jinyao was more than happy to remain quiet, simply staring out the window at the sea as it was gradually swallowed by the night.

When the silhouette of Xiling Island appeared in his vision like a pearl on the sea, Lin Jinyao felt a flicker of fear.

He knew Chen Jin would have reported everything to Mu Huacheng, and Mu Huacheng certainly wouldn’t let him off easily.

His backside was going to suffer again.

As he was thinking, the helicopter landed on the island’s private pad.

The cabin door opened, and the sea breeze immediately rushed in.

Mu Huacheng was standing not far away, waiting for him with a smile.

Dressed in dark loungewear, his figure was tall and straight. He stood leisurely with his hands in his pockets, his gaze landing precisely on Lin Jinyao.

The corners of his mouth seemed to carry a faint, indiscernible smile, looking somewhat blurred under the orange glow of the sunset.

Lin Jinyao took a deep breath, stepped off the helicopter, and walked toward Mu Huacheng.

Every step felt like walking on a blade.

Did you have fun? Mu Huacheng spoke, his voice as deep and gentle as ever. He reached out and naturally wrapped an arm around Lin Jinyao’s waist, drawing him close.

Lin Jinyao’s body stiffened uncontrollably for a moment before he forced himself to relax, leaning into Mu Huacheng’s embrace and giving a low mhm.

Mu Huacheng lowered his head, his chin lightly brushing against the top of Lin Jinyao’s hair as if sensing his scent. That’s good. He paused, his arm tightening slightly, his tone sounding almost pleasant. Welcome home, A-Yao.

Mu Huacheng’s embrace was warm and powerful, but Lin Jinyao only felt as if he were being coiled by a cold, giant python.

Home? This had never been his home.

This was a silent battlefield.

And he had just returned from the external front lines to the very core and most dangerous center of the command headquarters.

Mu Huacheng led him toward the main house.

After a few steps, Mu Huacheng suddenly mentioned it as if in passing, his voice drifting lightly into the sea breeze. Oh, right, A-Yao. The invitations for the birthday banquet have been sent out… The Zhou family has accepted the invitation.

Lin Jinyao’s body froze. It was expected, yet unexpected.

Mu Huacheng felt his hesitation and turned his head. His deep gaze was exceptionally sharp in the night, and the smile on his lips deepened slightly.