Volume Two: Second Scroll
Disappointment
Song Yuhang, this time you are destined to be disappointed.
“Young Master, President Lin requests your presence.” The attendant’s face appeared on the liquid crystal display on the laboratory ceiling.
Lin Ge placed his blood-soaked hands under the faucet and washed them clean.
“Is there something?”
The screen flickered twice, the signal seeming poor, and the attendant continued: “He said there is an important matter to discuss with you.”
Lin Ge shook the water droplets from his hands, wiped them with a clean handkerchief, and walked out.
“What instructions does this old thing have now, let’s go, go over and see.”
The laboratory door opened, and a thick smell of blood assailed his nostrils.
The attendant’s expression did not change, as if he couldn’t see the utter mess on the floor; someone would come to clean it up in a while anyway.
As usual, he handed over a new suit jacket. After Lin Ge put it on, he held out hand cream with both hands and passed it over.
The hands of an artist are always long and fair, even if they are stained with invisible blood.
Lin Ge’s movements as he applied the hand cream were also slow and methodical, unhurried. Once everything was in order, the attendant took out perfume again, bowing slightly as a signal.
“Young Master, pardon the intrusion.”
After a spray of mist, the smell of blood on his body faded completely.
He smoothed his hair, whistled cheerfully, and strode forward.
“Let’s go, to see that good uncle of mine.”
When Lin Ge arrived, the doctor was still performing a check-up on Lin Youyuan. He waited outside the door for a long while before the doctor finally walked out of the room, tucking a medical record book under his arm.
Lin Ge grabbed his arm: “How is he?”
The elderly and experienced family doctor shook his head and sighed deeply.
“Prepare for the funeral arrangements as soon as possible. Young Master, please restrain your grief1.”
Lin Ge took a heavy step back. The doctor had already walked far away.
Butler Lin came out to greet him, his eyes also red-rimmed.
“Young Master, come in, the Old Master is calling for you.”
Lin Ge composed himself and smoothed out the wrinkles on his suit jacket.
“Okay.”
Due to chemotherapy, his hair had all fallen out, forcing him to wear a warm woolen hat.
In the middle of summer, the air conditioner in the room was set to 28 degrees, making it slightly stuffy. Because the room was not ventilated, it was pervaded by the distinctive smell of a patient’s excreta.
Lin Youyuan was nestled in bed, a urine bag hanging beside it. The quilt was pulled up tightly, revealing only the back of one hand with an IV drip. It was bruised purple from needle pricks, making it almost impossible to see where the blood vessels were.
Seeing him arrive, he moved his eyes slightly, signaling for Butler Lin to raise the bed a little.
He wanted to sit up but was pressed down by Lin Ge. There was a hint of heartache in the man’s eyes, which quietly reddened.
“Uncle Lin, don’t get up, whatever you want to say, I can hear it.”
Lin Youyuan raised a weak finger and pointed to the documents at the head of the bed. Butler Lin retrieved them for him.
Since he was wearing a respirator, it was not convenient for him to speak, so it was relayed by Butler Lin.
“Young Master, Jingtai Group is about to go bankrupt, you are also aware of the asset liquidation…”
Lin Ge nodded, sitting on the edge of the bed and clenching the fabric on his knees, looking somewhat sad.
“I’m sorry, Uncle, it’s because I’m useless, unable to turn the tide.”
Butler Lin sneered inwardly, thinking.
You not only didn’t turn the tide, you even added to the waves.
Lin Youyuan waved his hand, indicating not to talk about these things.
He still insisted on getting up to speak, so the butler had to help him up, place a pillow behind his back, and remove the oxygen mask.
Lin Youyuan had to pause to catch his breath after every few words, as if he could pass away at any moment.
“After the asset liquidation… a portion of the money… cough cough… was frozen… a portion was used… used to dismiss the employees…”
He tremblingly grabbed Lin Ge’s hand, speaking earnestly.
“I… I have left a portion for you and your mother… there is also a subsidiary company overseas… under your mother’s name… in the future it will be yours… you go over… take this money… and live a good life with Jingru.”
Hearing the first half, a look of grief had remained on Lin Ge’s face, but only when he heard him say his mother’s name, he pressed his lips together, and all expression vanished.
Their hands were still clasped together, but he could no longer feel any warmth.
He had felt a bit hot when he first entered the door, but now a chill spread through his entire body.
Lin Ge asked in a hoarse voice: “Uncle, why are you so good to me, so good to my mom, is it because—”
He found it almost difficult to speak of the scene he had witnessed with his own eyes many years ago. The two people who had shown him kindness as weighty as a mountain had personally destroyed his brief childhood, pushing him into an abyss named guilt and shame, from which there would be no recovery for ten thousand kalpas2.
Lin Youyuan started coughing, opportunely interrupting his words. His grip on his hand, however, tightened, almost hurting him. Tears welled up in his cloudy eyes.
“Cough cough… it was I who let your father down… when you were born, he was already gone… I once promised him… if the two of us had children… we must look after each other…”
As he spoke, he grabbed the folder from the bedside and stuffed it into his hand. It wasn’t sealed properly, and two plane tickets and several large-denomination checks fell out.
“You take it… take it… and go to Canada…”
Lin Ge had always been a person with extremely strong self-control, able to conceal all his emotions perfectly. But at this very moment, if Butler Lin had not been present, he could almost pounce on him and snap his neck immediately.
On what grounds?!
On what grounds should he go to Canada and give up everything he had worked so hard to obtain in the country!
On what grounds did he arrange for him to study abroad in the United States back then under the pretext of it being for his own good? Does he know what he went through all alone in a foreign country?!
After finally completing his studies, he returned to the country full of confidence and aspirations, wanting to enter Jingtai’s core laboratory to continue his scientific research projects and showcase his talents. But Lin Youyuan, with a single transfer order, arranged for him to go to a remote branch company as a manager, completely unrelated to his profession, and a promotion in name but a demotion in reality3.
He had no choice but to resign. He borrowed money from friends everywhere to open his own dental hospital. Lin Youyuan was furious because of this, and even his mother, whom he had always respected, repeatedly accused him of being a white-eyed wolf4.
And just like Lin Yan back then, Lin Youyuan was that kind of arbitrary and tyrannical patriarch who wanted to control everyone’s lives.
The difference was, Lin Yan chose to break away; he chose to endure.
Who was to blame for him having the appearance of an obedient, timid, and weak good student since childhood? So he deserved to be bullied by everyone?
Lin Ge gritted his teeth. Perhaps realizing that the expression on his face was too ferocious, he softened it and squeezed Lin Youyuan’s hand back. His words were tactful, but his tone was indisputable.
“Uncle Lin, I’m sorry, I can’t do it. Since you consider me family, how can I abandon Jingtai and go abroad at a time like this? I want to stay, to live or die with Jingtai.”
“You should rest early. There are still matters at the company, so I’ll be heading back first.”
After speaking, he pulled his hand from his palm, stood up, and left without a single glance back.
Lin Youyuan leaned against the headboard and began to cough violently. The butler patted his back to soothe his breathing and brought him medicine to drink.
After a flurry of activity, he slowly calmed down. Unfolding the handkerchief covering his mouth, it was full of blood.
Butler Lin tossed the handkerchief into the basin beside the bed and helped the man lie down to rest.
“Old Master, get some sleep.”
But Lin Youyuan suddenly opened his tightly closed eyes. His muddled gaze was swept away, replaced by a sharp glint.
He spoke word by word, through gritted teeth.
“Did you see that? He wants to kill me.”
A look of sorrow appeared on Butler Lin’s face.
“Old Master…”
Lin Youyuan’s lips trembled.
“Let him come, I have something to say to him.”
Lin Ge returned to his own home. The attendant walked up to him: “Young Master…”
Before he could finish, Lin Ge had already brushed him aside.
“Where’s my mom?!”
“Young Master!” The attendant followed on his heels.
Lin Ge pushed open the bedroom door. Several family doctors were gathered around the hospital bed, performing emergency rescue. The instruments were beeping.
His mother lay on the bed, with a sliver of consciousness still remaining. Seeing her son arrive, a hint of relief appeared in her eyes.
Before she could smile, Lin Ge waved his hand coldly.
“All of you, get out.”
The doctors turned their heads and looked at each other.
Lin Ge was expressionless: “Are you deaf? All of you, get out, let her die!”
His mother’s face instantly turned deathly pale. The values on the monitor plummeted, looking as if they were about to hit rock bottom.
Under his firm command, the doctors had no choice but to put down the syringes in their hands and walk out with their heads down.
Lin Ge gave the attendant a look. He nodded slightly, indicating that he would handle it, and closed the door for them.
His mother’s expression had already changed from relief to terror. As he approached the bed step by step, she let out muffled cries for help.
“Heh… heh…” Her breathing was as heavy as pulling a bellows.
Lin Ge removed the oxygen mask for her, to alleviate her “pain.”
“Mom, you’ve held on for so many years, it hasn’t been easy, you’ve worked hard too.” As he spoke, his eyes quietly reddened, and a gentle expression filled his face. He gently pulled out the IV needle from the back of her hand, and beads of blood splattered.
His mother couldn’t even let out a whimper of pain. Her cloudy eyes were filled with tears, and she shook her head desperately.
Lin Ge intended to remove the electrode pads attached to her body that were maintaining her vital signs.
“Mom, before you die, I have a question to ask you…”
His hand paused. His mother seemed to see a glimmer of hope and nodded with effort, signaling for him to speak.
“Whose son am I really? How exactly did my dad die?”
As he spoke, he caressed his mother’s face, wiping her tears, and finally, he clasped her neck. A crazed look filled his face, and he gritted his teeth.
“Speak! What exactly is going on between you and Uncle Lin, why did you have to get mixed up with him!!!”
He raised his voice and roared at her.
As if to confirm something, following his roar, the values on the life support monitor fell rapidly, plunging to the bottom.
Following a rapid and long beeping sound, before he even had time to apply force, his mother’s head had already lolled to one side. Her eyes were still open, bloodshot, her eyeballs protruding.
He retracted his hand as if electrocuted and gently patted her face.
“Mom? Mom?”
Receiving no response, he looked at his own hands in disbelief, his face filled with panic.
“It wasn’t… it wasn’t me… I didn’t use force… Mom!”
“Mom!!!”
“Ahhhhhh!”
His body went limp, and he knelt by the bed, picked up her already cold hand and pressed it against his face, weeping bitterly.
After Lin Ge left, another stranger visited the Lin residence.
As soon as he entered, he was about to take off his hat and salute, but Lin Youyuan, sitting on the bed and looking much better after taking his medicine, waved his hand to stop him.
“The things are ready, you can take them.”
It was the same folder, only this time it only contained checks. Butler Lin picked it up and handed it to Feng Jianguo.
Clutching these tens of millions, which felt heavy in his hand, Feng Jianguo was obviously taken aback, his lips pressed tightly together.
He knew that once this money was taken, the Lin family’s great mansion would collapse.
Instead, Lin Youyuan smiled as if he didn’t care, covering his mouth with a handkerchief as he coughed.
“Take it. Anyway, when the time comes and the mission is over, it’s impossible for you police to really let this money fall into the hands of criminals. It will still be Lin Yan’s.”
An old fox is indeed an old fox.
Feng Jianguo was helpless: “Couldn’t you consider our hard work and effort, and support the grassroots construction a little.”
“Cough cough… This old master5 in these years… have I supported too little…” Lin Youyuan coughed a few more times into his lips. Putting down the handkerchief, he looked at this once high-spirited and vigorous6 young man before him who had also grown old, with white frost growing at his temples, a hint of emotion in his eyes.
“Once this matter is over, I can also go in peace.”
Feng Jianguo was somewhat moved, but he didn’t know what to say, or how to console him. His throat moved slightly, but he didn’t speak.
“What I must remind you is, Ding Ye… is old and treacherous, giant and slippery7… not easy to deal with…” Mentioning this person, he gripped the quilt, gritting his teeth.
“You must… you must cut the grass and remove the roots, his string of evil deeds is full, if he can be killed on the spot, then kill him on the spot, you ab-absolutely must not give him a chance to live… oth… otherwise the future troubles will be endless.”
Others might not know what a commanding figure this old man in his twilight years—a candle flickering in the wind in his remaining years8 and plagued by illness—was in the 1960s, renowned in both the black and white paths9, whose reputation alone made others lose their gall upon hearing the wind10.
But he understood. Lin Youyuan’s leg was the “masterpiece” of that Ding Ye.
Feng Jianguo took a step back, brought his feet together, and gave a standard military salute; he was worthy of such solemnity.
“Yes, I guarantee the mission will be completed.”
Lin Youyuan waved his hand, as if extremely weary.
Just as Feng Jianguo was about to turn and leave, he asked another question: “Why me?”
Lin Youyuan smiled, but didn’t answer.
He thought he would never forget that day in 1982 when Lin Yan was kidnapped.
He and the police were frantic. After a fierce firefight with the criminals, the hostage was successfully rescued, but Lin Cheng had been tortured to death.
In a flurry of soldiers in disarray and horses in confusion11, everyone was only focused on rescuing Lin Cheng, including him.
Only this young and inexperienced criminal policeman, probably new to the job, still wet behind the ears, with green stubble on his chin, was the first to rush in, drape his own clothes over her, and run out carrying Lin Yan, shedding tears as he ran, crying with his hands and feet at a loss like a child.
That was the most primitive reverence and sympathy for life, an expression that had also appeared on the face of his old friend.
From that moment on, he remembered this young policeman’s name in his heart, and gave him subtle help, watching him gradually grow stronger, climbing step by step, to a height that ordinary people could no longer look up to.
This time was the same.
He chose to believe him, to believe that the naive little policeman from back then still possessed a scorching heart of a newborn12.
Hopefully, this hope will not be in vain.
After he left, Lin Youyuan tremblingly turned to his side and took out a yellowed, grayscale photo from the drawer of the bedside table. It was a group photo, with both men and women.
One of the boys looked very much like Song Yuhang.
His rough hand caressed the figures on it, and suddenly, tears rolled down.
“Old partner, we’re going to meet again soon.”
To avoid attracting attention, Lin Yan went straight home from the first basement level parking garage. The first thing she did upon entering was take a shower. After coming out of the shower, she looked at the clothes thrown on the floor, still stained with blood, and frowned. She picked them up with two fingers to inspect them.
There was a tear on the hem.
Although she had done it very naturally, and the cut looked like it had been accidentally snagged, Lin Yan still saw the clues.
She gave a self-deprecating laugh, picked up a bottle of alcohol and splashed it on, then lit a lighter and threw it on top.
The flames blazed, turning the evidence to ashes.
Song Yuhang, this time you are destined to be disappointed.
Jiangcheng City Public Security Bureau.
Technical Investigation Department Laboratory.
“Xiao Fang, where is evidence sample number 03? The one that was just delivered yesterday.”
Fang Xin looked up from the microscope.
“Isn’t it right there? Numbered in the cabinet.”
“I can’t find it, come help me look,” her colleague’s anxious voice came over.
Fang Xin was helpless: “Alright, alright, coming, coming.”
She had no choice but to temporarily place the test tube in her hand into the rack and run over to help.
After she left, someone brushed past her lab bench; the entire process took less than three seconds.
Fang Xin ran back again. The test tube was still there, intact, in the rack. She breathed a small sigh of relief and continued her work.
Other colleagues were getting ready to leave for the day.
“Fang Xin, we’re leaving now.”
“You’re not leaving yet?”
Without raising her head: “No, I’ll go back later, see you tomorrow.”
Her colleague yawned and patted her on the shoulder.
“See you tomorrow.”
LP: … This chapter is just *whooosh* SO MANY REVELATIONS, I’M JUST MIND BLOWNED!
Re-translated on August 19, 2025
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Shone a light at what was in the past, anyways he caused the loneliness at the end of his life. And Lin Ge fkng nuts.
Shone a light at what was in the past, anyways he caused the loneliness at the end of his life. And Lin Ge fkng nuts.