Go To Your Death Chapter 19

Composure

Lin Jinyao was sunk deep into the soft, oversized bed. The side effects of the medication hit him like a rising tide, bringing a surge of drowsiness that dragged him into a chaotic darkness.

Seven silently packed his medical kit, gently closed the door, and stepped out.

Outside, Chen Jin and Fan Yu immediately moved forward to meet him. Fan Yu glanced toward the door and asked in a low voice, “How is he?”

Seven sighed. “The fever was caused by extreme emotional fluctuations. I just gave him a sedative. Let him get some proper rest.”

Chen Jin’s brow furrowed, unable to hide his concern.

Fan Yu shook his head, his tone tinged with helplessness. “Lord Hua really overplayed his hand this time.”

“Last time Young Master Lin went to the old residence, his movements were discovered by the Zhou family,” Chen Jin explained quietly. “That is why Mr. Mu had to move against the Zhou family ahead of schedule.”

“No wonder.” Fan Yu shrugged. “It is just a pity for A-Yao. He should have at least been given some mental preparation. To be hit with a sledgehammer like that right out of the gate—who could handle it?”

That night, Xiling Island was destined to be sleepless.

Inside the banquet hall, glasses clinked and conversation flowed. After Mu Huacheng returned to the hall, a surface-level calm seemed to have temporarily resumed.

After Zhou Hongbing and his wife were invited to go rest, they did not appear again.

Mu Huacheng spoke briefly with several core figures. His tone was flat as he settled the liquidation of the Zhou family’s assets and the framework for the business operations that would be taken over in the coming period in just a few sentences.

The Mu family’s professional legal team had long been fully prepared. They only needed to wait for Lin Jinyao to wake up and complete the process with them.

The gavel had fallen. The dust had settled.

Chen Jin and Fan Yu returned to the banquet hall one after the other. Chen Jin walked silently to Mu Huacheng’s side and whispered a few words into his ear. At Mu Huacheng’s signal, he left again.

An unknown amount of time passed before Lin Jinyao struggled to wake from his stupor.

There was only a faint light outside the window. The effects of the sedative had not yet fully worn off, leaving him with a splitting headache.

Lin Jinyao lay motionless on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Mu Huacheng’s lethal words echoed repeatedly in his mind.

He was not only Zhou Xubai’s brother-like friend, but also the only lover she truly trusted and even tried to protect during her short life.

Even though that so-called romantic relationship was only in name—a necessity to deflect the blind dates Liu Yun arranged for her, and a way for her to stay naturally by his and Zhou Xuan’s side—she was still his girlfriend.

Lin Jinyao closed his eyes, trying not to think about it, but J’s words rose up uncontrollably like a ghost.

Lin Jinyao’s eyes suddenly snapped open, and he bolted upright.

No… that is not right… it is all wrong!

Zhou Xubai had investigated the relationship between Zhou Xuan and Zhou Hongbing very early on—so she knew that Zhou Xuan was not her biological brother.

Fan Yu had once sent Zhang Ming to attempt to contact Zhou Xubai. Although it failed, Zhang Ming died in a car accident three months before the anniversary of Zhou Xubai’s death. There must be a hidden reason behind that.

Zhou Xuan’s investigation was cut short after reaching Hai City. But in Hai City, besides the Zhou family, who else could cover the sky with one hand?

Therefore, the Zhou family must have known about Zhou Xubai’s suicide from the very beginning.

It was even possible that Zhang Ming had discovered something and was silenced for it.

A bone-chilling deduction hovered in his mind.

At the banquet, Mrs. Zhou’s reaction made it clear she had seen the jade pendant long ago; otherwise, she would not have lost her composure on the spot.

If Zhou Xubai had already sensed certain things the Zhou family was hiding, and the pendant in her hand unexpectedly caught Mu Huacheng’s attention…

If the Zhou family found out about this, would she have believed that her existence and this pendant would eventually drag her beloved brother and her boyfriend into a bottomless abyss?

So, could her seemingly sudden suicide have been an attempt to cut all leads? Was it a final, desperate warning for them to stop digging deeper, while also… protecting him and Zhou Xuan?

The thought made Lin Jinyao’s stomach churn.

He threw back the covers and scrambled out of bed, rushing into the bathroom to retch violently. He could bring nothing up; only cold terror and bone-deep self-reproach gripped his heart, suffocating him.

Lin Jinyao leaned against the cold tiled wall, gasping for air. His face in the mirror was deathly pale.

If it was really like this… then what role did Zhou Hongbing play in all of this? Was he the executioner who drove his own daughter to death?

Lin Jinyao stood up unsteadily and changed into a set of dark casual clothes. With a neutral expression, he silently opened the door.

The corridor was empty, but he knew there were eyes everywhere in the shadows.

Lin Jinyao walked straight toward the study.

As expected, the study door was slightly ajar, revealing a warm yellow light and the faint scent of cigar smoke in the air.

With a cold face, Lin Jinyao pushed the door open and entered.

Mu Huacheng stood with his back to the door, looking out the floor-to-ceiling window at the ink-black sea.

Hearing the heavy sound of the door opening, he turned his head slightly and spoke calmly, “You are awake? Are you feeling any better?”

There was a hint of exhaustion in Mu Huacheng’s voice. He had not yet removed his shirt and tie, likely having just finished dealing with business matters without a moment to rest.

“What exactly did Zhou Xubai discover?” Lin Jinyao went straight to the point, his voice hoarse but exceptionally calm. He no longer called her Xiao Bai, but used her full name. “About the Zhou family, about my parents, or even… about your Mu family? What did she know that she felt she had to use death to cover it up?”

At this point, Lin Jinyao was not afraid of making things worse.

Mu Huacheng’s deep eyes studied Lin Jinyao intently. Then, he slowly walked over until he stood directly in front of him.

“Why ask this so suddenly?” Mu Huacheng countered with a question.

“Answer me!” Lin Jinyao took a step forward, grabbing Mu Huacheng’s shoulders and forcing him to sit back against the desk. He slammed his hands onto the wide desk, leaning forward with eyes filled with suppressed agony. “Stop treating me like a fool! You handed me the knife, but you won’t tell me what the enemy actually did! You want me to seek revenge, so you must let me know exactly what I am avenging! And what does Zhou Xubai’s death actually count for?”

Lin Jinyao’s voice choked up, but he stubbornly refused to let his tears fall.

Mu Huacheng remained in the position where Lin Jinyao had him pinned. He looked at him in silence for a moment before turning to stub out his cigar in a jade ashtray.

He then stood up composedly, walked behind the desk, opened a hidden safe, and pulled out a thick file folder, placing it in front of Lin Jinyao.

“This is everything I could find regarding the Zhou family’s takeover of the Lin family’s assets back then, including illegal methods and financial fraud,” he said softly. “But regarding your parents’ plane crash… the evidence is insufficient. On the surface, their choice of that flight truly appears to be an accident. Currently, it is only a suspicion that Zhou Hongbing might have known in advance or even facilitated the crash of that flight.”

Lin Jinyao’s hands trembled as he took the folder. He dazed for a moment but did not open it immediately.

“And what about Zhou Xubai?” He stared intently at Mu Huacheng.

Mu Huacheng stepped toward him, looking down with a complex gaze. “When I investigated the jade pendant and searched for your whereabouts in secret, the Zhou family was bound to become alert. Zhou Xubai was a smart and sensitive girl. She likely sensed Zhou Hongbing and his wife’s tension and their unusual movements behind the scenes. She might have even… heard or seen something she wasn’t supposed to know.”

He paused, his voice dropping lower. “As for what specifically it was, I am afraid only she and the people who drove her to death know.”

“Zhou Hongbing and Liu Yun…”

“It is very likely that Zhou Hongbing and his wife realized her existence had become a threat to them.” Mu Huacheng’s tone turned icy. “For a ruthless person trying to protect stolen gains, what is the simplest way to eliminate a risk? It is to make her shut up forever.”

“So… they drove her to her death?” Lin Jinyao’s voice was so soft it was almost inaudible.

Mu Huacheng’s gaze fell on Lin Jinyao’s pale face. “That is the most logical deduction. Of course, you can go and ask Zhou Hongbing yourself.”

Ask him personally…

Lin Jinyao clenched his fists. “Where is he?”

“The Quiet Room.”

The Quiet Room was a soundproofed area on the island used for handling private matters.

Walking down the cold corridor, Lin Jinyao said nothing. His face was calm, but he gripped the file tightly, his fingertips trembling slightly.

The door to the Quiet Room opened. Zhou Hongbing sat alone in a chair, his face ashen, having long lost his former prestige.

When he saw the jade pendant in Lin Jinyao’s hand, his pupils constricted sharply.

Lin Jinyao walked up to him and held the pendant before his eyes, his voice as cold as thousand-year-old ice.

“President Zhou, before Zhou Xubai died, was the last person she saw you, or your wife?”

“Was the last thing she left behind this?”

“What exactly did you use… to drive her to her death?”

Zhou Hongbing looked up at the bone-chilling gaze of the young man before him and suddenly began to laugh. In the silent room, the laughter sounded exceptionally eerie.

Outside the door, Mu Huacheng stood with his hands behind his back, listening to the faint sounds from within, his eyes deep and unreadable.

Inside the Quiet Room, Zhou Hongbing’s terrifying laughter bounced off the cold walls before coming to an abrupt halt, leaving only his defeated face.

His clouded eyes stared fixedly at the jade pendant in Lin Jinyao’s hand, as if it were a death warrant from hell.

“It was her… she was just too stupid!” Zhou Hongbing’s voice was raspy, carrying a hint of madness. “Holding onto things she shouldn’t have held, knowing things she shouldn’t have known… We just told her to hand the things over, to behave herself! Who knew she would be so stubborn!”

Lin Jinyao’s heart felt as if it had been pierced by an icicle. A chill instantly spread through his entire body. He took a step forward, pressing further. “Things she shouldn’t have known? What things?”

Zhou Hongbing shuddered violently, his eyes darting away as if unwilling to speak.

Lin Jinyao took two steps back, turned away, and took a deep breath. Suddenly, a silver flash glinted from his sleeve. A fruit knife he had swiped from somewhere appeared in his hand, and he plunged it hard into Zhou Hongbing’s thigh.

“AAAHHHH!!!!”

Zhou Hongbing let out a shrill, agonizing scream.

“Speak!”

A few broken sentences forced their way out of Zhou Hongbing’s throat. “…It was the ledgers… she peeked… the ones her mother left behind… about… about the airline investment back then… they were fake… empty…”

“Keep talking.” Lin Jinyao’s voice lacked even a trace of warmth.

Zhou Hongbing gasped for air, his eyes glazed. His psychological defenses had completely collapsed, and he confessed incoherently. “…Liu Yun… it was Liu Yun! She was the one who found out that girl was secretly checking the old accounts… and had copied the evidence… we just wanted her to hand the things over… who knew she would be so defiant… we didn’t want her to die… we really didn’t… besides, she was pregnant.”

“What did you say?” Lin Jinyao asked in disbelief.

“Truly, we didn’t do anything to her… we just said…” Zhou Hongbing’s eyes were filled with terror. “We just said if she didn’t hand over the things and shut up… we would make sure something happened to Zhou Xuan and you… we were just trying to scare her… we didn’t expect her to… that very night…”

Boom!

Lin Jinyao’s mind went blank. He froze on the spot, the color draining from his face instantly.

“You used Zhou Xuan’s safety… to threaten her? You animals! You absolute animals! She was your daughter!!”

Liu Yun had been brought in from the inner room at some point. Seeing Zhou Hongbing’s state, her face turned white and her whole body shook, but her words were incredibly poisonous. “That brat was shameless, disgracing the family. Who knows whose seed she was carrying in her belly? I just told her to get rid of it!”

“You forced her to abort the child?” Lin Jinyao was horrified.

“I… I… she said she had a boyfriend, who knew who her boyfriend was?” Liu Yun was so intimidated by his aura that she backed away until she had nowhere left to go, shrinking into a ball in a corner.

Lin Jinyao’s gaze was like a blade; he wished he could cut them into a thousand pieces.

“Then why did you kill Zhang Ming?” Lin Jinyao asked tentatively.

Zhou Hongbing said painfully, “He saw her secretly going to the hospital for an examination and took photos. He used them to threaten us afterward, saying he would expose it to the media… he was a vampire, never satisfied with one payment, blackmailing us again and again.”

So that was it… it was just that…

Lin Jinyao turned around, a single tear falling.

Suddenly, he slammed a fist into the cold wall. His knuckles split instantly, blood flowing freely, but he felt no pain.

He was afraid that if he didn’t, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from killing them.

Zhou Hongbing and Liu Yun were terrified by his presence, frozen in place.

Hearing the noise, the door to the Quiet Room was suddenly pushed open.

Mu Huacheng and Chen Jin stood at the doorway, their eyes immediately falling on Lin Jinyao’s bleeding hand.