Go To Your Death Chapter 17

Great Change

Lin Jinyao’s gaze was fixed intently on that piece of dark red velvet, as if what lay beneath it was an atomic bomb with devastating power!

Mu Huacheng’s eyes swept over the guests once more. This time, his gaze settled on the face of Zhou Hongbing, who was seated in the front row of the VIP section.

Zhou Hongbing wore an impeccable, refined smile, but upon closer inspection, one could detect a faint, nearly imperceptible tension deep within his eyes.

“Many years ago…” Mu Huacheng’s voice was low and clear, like a stone dropped into a still, deep pool, stirring up a thousand ripples. “The Mu and Lin families shared a profound friendship. We entered into a marriage contract, agreeing that once the children of both families reached adulthood, the two houses would be united in marriage. Unfortunately, fate is unpredictable. The Lin couple met with a tragic accident, and their young only son went missing along with them, leaving no word for many years. This matter has remained a regret in my heart that I have found difficult to let go of.”

For some reason, hearing these words caused Lin Jinyao’s heart to seize violently!

The old friends Mu Huacheng spoke of? The couple? The young child? Was he talking about him?

He turned his head sharply to look at Mu Huacheng, but the other man did not return his gaze, remaining focused on the guests.

The words being spoken were like a cold steel blade, peeling back the layers of a cruel truth that had been buried for twenty years.

Sure enough, the people below began to whisper among themselves.

“Mr. Mu has a fiancé?”

“How have I never heard of this…”

“…”

“This is not a claim made without proof. We have the marriage contract as evidence!” Mu Huacheng continued, his hand applying a slight pressure.

With a sudden movement, the velvet cloth was whipped away!

Inside the glass display case, a carefully preserved, slightly yellowed marriage contract was revealed to everyone.

On the document, Mu Huacheng’s brushwork from those years was still somewhat immature—crooked yet clear.

The section belonging to Lin Jinyao had been written on his behalf by his father. The handwriting was steady and powerful, and beneath the signature was the footprint of a month-old baby, small and adorable.

The two sets of handwriting sat side by side, silently recounting the promise made between the Mu and Lin families all those years ago.

That wasn’t all. “Not only that, but the token of betrothal sent by my Mu family is also here.”

Lin Jinyao’s pupils constricted. He didn’t know when Mu Huacheng had taken the jade pendant!

He froze in place, feeling a chill surge up his spine and instantly spread through his entire body.

A wave of uncontrollable gasps and whispers erupted from the audience.

The sandalwood Hetian jade pendant in Mu Huacheng’s hand was of exceptional quality, lustrous and glowing; it was clearly worth a fortune.

But at this moment, what drew even more attention was the shocking information revealed in Mu Huacheng’s words. This actually concerned his legendary childhood fiancé!

No wonder Mu Huacheng had remained single all these years. It turned out he was staying chaste for his fiancé!

The expression on Zhou Hongbing’s face was far too complex; his original smile had frozen instantly.

Though it lasted only a brief moment, it was enough for Lin Jinyao to capture the shock and panic on that face.

Beside him, his elegant and noble current wife, Liu Yun, also underwent a slight change in expression. She subconsciously tightened her grip on her wine glass, her knuckles turning white.

Mu Huacheng took in everyone’s reactions. The faint, ambiguous smile at the corner of his mouth deepened slightly. Though he was smiling, it felt bone-chillingly cold.

He finally turned around. His gaze shifted from icy to tender in an instant as he looked calmly at Lin Jinyao and slowly extended his hand toward him.

“And the most miraculous part of fate is…” His voice was as gentle as water. “This jade pendant, along with its true owner, has finally returned to my side after many years of wandering and separation.”

Following Mu Huacheng’s movement, the spotlight shifted with a flash, shining fully and without reservation onto Lin Jinyao!

Lin Jinyao, dressed in his ice-blue formal suit, looked dazzling under the light, but it also clearly revealed his pale complexion and his eyes, which were wide with shock.

To outsiders, it looked as though Lin Jinyao was standing there, rendered speechless by the sudden news.

In reality, he had been mentally prepared and knew that the special program Mu Huacheng arranged was for him.

However, he never imagined that Mu Huacheng… this old man, this dog of a man! He hadn’t left him a single way out!

To choose such an occasion to reveal Lin Jinyao’s identity, while simultaneously using a marriage contract of unknown authenticity to bind them together completely.

Did he think he could thoroughly control him this way?

Mu Huacheng walked back to him step by step, took his cold, stiff hand, and gently placed the jade pendant—which felt as heavy as a thousand pounds—into his palm. He then closed Lin Jinyao’s fingers with his own, forcing him to grip it.

“A-Yao,” Mu Huacheng’s voice carried clearly through the microphone to every corner of the hall, “welcome home.”

Home? Which home? The Lin family home that had long since been shattered and existed only in rumors?

Or… this seemingly magnificent but potentially perilous cage by Mu Huacheng’s side?

Lin Jinyao’s mind went blank, his chaotic thoughts nearly making his head explode.

He stared blankly at the burning warmth of the jade pendant in his palm, then suddenly looked up into Mu Huacheng’s bottomless eyes.

In a flash of realization, a thought struck him—

So Mu Huacheng had investigated Zhou Xubai back then because of this jade pendant!

The person he had been looking for from the very beginning was the owner of this jade!

And Zhou Xubai was perhaps just an unfortunate “wrong” answer caught up in the accident?

Then Xiao Bai… did she know everything involved behind this jade pendant? Did her sudden death… have something to do with the hidden secrets of the Lin family?

Countless questions intertwined like wild vines in Lin Jinyao’s mind.

Amidst the shock, a cold, bitter smile surfaced in his heart. Even at this stage, he was still subconsciously feeling indignant for Xiao Bai.

Below the stage, Zhou Hongbing suddenly stood up, his face deathly pale, no longer able to maintain even a shred of composure. “Mr. Mu! This… this must be a huge misunderstanding! How could this jade pendant… the owner of this pendant is clearly…”

“Is what? A misunderstanding?”

Mu Huacheng slowly turned his head to look at Zhou Hongbing. The tenderness on his face vanished, replaced by a cold scrutiny. “Where does President Zhou think the misunderstanding lies? Is it the identity of the jade pendant that is incorrect, or…”

His gaze slowly swept over Zhou Hongbing and his pale-faced wife. “…Is it a misunderstanding that after the Lin couple’s accidental death, certain people took the opportunity to swallow up the orphan’s assets, deliberately concealed the child’s true whereabouts, and even monitored him day and night all these years?”

Boom!

These words were like a heavy bomb dropped into the banquet hall!

The entire venue instantly erupted into an uproar!

The whispering turned into cries of disbelief! Every gaze shot toward Zhou Hongbing!

Lin Jinyao felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He turned his head sharply to look at Zhou Hongbing!

The Zhou family had actually been involved in those events back then?

Zhou Hongbing’s lips trembled violently. He pointed at Mu Huacheng, his voice sharp with false bravado as he retorted, “You! You’re slandering me! Mu Huacheng, don’t think you can hide the sky with one hand. Without evidence…”

Mu Huacheng interrupted him coldly, his tone grim and decisive. “I believe the relevant evidence, accounts, and testimonies will all be delivered to the appropriate places very soon. The law will make its own judgment. As for this jade pendant and its owner…”

He looked back at Lin Jinyao, his eyes filled with an unquestionable finality.

“A-Yao is the only remaining bloodline of the Lin family, the legal and sole heir to all of the Lin family’s estate. From this day forward, he will officially take over the restructuring of all Lin Group affairs. It is time for those who relied on dishonorable means to steal wealth and status for so many years to spit it all back out, with interest.”

Mu Huacheng’s gaze swept the room once more, finally landing on the nearly collapsing Lin Jinyao. His voice softened, but it carried an absolute declaration.

“And now, he is under my protection.”

“If anyone dares to touch him again, or covets things that do not belong to them…”

Mu Huacheng did not finish his sentence, but his icy eyes scanning the room with a naked warning said everything.

The temperature in the entire banquet hall seemed to drop to the freezing point. The air stagnated, and no one dared to speak up in question.

Lin Jinyao stood there, his palm tightly clutching the scalding jade pendant, seemingly oblivious to the pain.

Under the spotlight, his face was as white as paper, and his body could not stop trembling slightly.

Mu Huacheng took a step forward, pulling Lin Jinyao into his arms once more, using his broad shoulders and chest to support the body that could barely stand.

This posture was intensely protective, yet also highly possessive.

He lowered his head, his warm lips almost touching Lin Jinyao’s cold earlobe. In a voice only the two of them could hear, he murmured tenderly, “Do you see clearly now, A-Yao? Your enemy was never me.”

“Now, smile.”

Mu Huacheng raised his head. Facing the shocked and flustered guests, his face had regained that impeccable, indifferent smile of someone in total control.

It was as if the person who had just dropped the bombshell and stirred up the tidal wave wasn’t him.

“A minor family interlude has disturbed everyone’s enjoyment. Please forgive me.” He raised his glass in a gesture, his tone as relaxed as if it truly were just a small distraction. “The banquet continues.”

In the back, Fan Yu was equally shocked, his jaw hanging open. He nudged Chen Jin beside him. “Did you know about this from the start?”

“Yes.”

“So when Lord Hua originally had me find someone to get close to that girl, it was also for… Lin Jinyao.”

“Yes.”

Fan Yu took a deep breath. “Then, that Zhou Xubai’s suicide, was it Lord Hua…”

“No.”

“Finally, it’s not a ‘yes’.” Fan Yu breathed a sigh of relief.

Today was truly a feast of scandals!

Melodious music began to play again, but it could no longer dispel the eerie atmosphere permeating the air.

Everyone was struggling to digest this earth-shattering change.

Their gazes constantly shifted between Mu Huacheng, who controlled the entire situation; the pale and dazed Lin Jinyao in his arms; and the ash-faced, slumped figure of Zhou Hongbing.

Lin Jinyao was held tightly in Mu Huacheng’s embrace. Body heat transferred through the fabric of their clothes, but it brought not even a hint of warmth.

He was forced to accept the baptism of various gazes, feeling only waves of bone-chilling cold.

Everything was pressing down on him until he couldn’t breathe, but the most fatal part was the entanglement!

This was what Mu Huacheng had brought upon him!

Now everyone would know that he belonged completely to Mu Huacheng, and legitimately so!

Lin Jinyao could not escape!

Mu Huacheng had achieved his goal!