Disappointment
“Young Master, Master Lin is requesting your presence.” The LCD display on the laboratory ceiling showed the face of Lin Ge’s attendant.
Lin Ge rinsed his blood-stained hands under the faucet.
“What’s the matter?”
The screen flickered twice, showing a weak signal. The attendant continued, “They say there’s an important matter to discuss with you.”
Lin Ge shook off the water droplets from his hands, wiped them clean with a towel, and headed out.
“What does that old guy want now? Let’s go, let’s go see.”
The laboratory door swung open, and a strong stench of blood hit them.
The attendant remained unfazed, as if oblivious to the mess on the floor, knowing someone would clean up soon.
He handed over a new suit jacket as usual. Once Lin Ge put it on, he then handed over a jar of hand cream.
The artist’s hands were always slender and fair, even when stained with invisible blood.
Lin Ge applied the hand cream methodically, taking his time. Once everything was in order, the attendant produced a bottle of perfume and gave a slight bow.
“Young Master, please forgive me.”
Lin Ge opened his suit jacket, a mist sprayed over him, and the smell of blood vanished completely.
He ran his fingers through his hair, whistled cheerfully, and strode forward energetically.
“Let’s go, let’s meet my dear uncle.”
When Lin Ge arrived, the doctor was still examining Lin Youyuan. He waited outside for a good half hour before the doctor emerged with the medical records in hand.
Lin Ge grabbed his arm. “How is he?”
The elderly and experienced family doctor shook his head and let out a long sigh.
“Prepare for the funeral as soon as possible, Young Master. My condolences.”
Lin Ge took a step back abruptly as the doctor walked away.
Butler Lin came out to greet him, his eyes also red with tears.
“Young Master, please come in. The Master is calling for you.”
Lin Ge composed himself, smoothing out the wrinkles on his suit jacket.
“Okay.”
Due to chemotherapy, he had lost all his hair and had to wear a warm wool cap.
In the midst of the scorching summer, the air conditioning inside the room was set to 28 degrees, slightly stuffy. Due to the lack of ventilation, the room was filled with the distinct smell of a patient’s excretions.
Lin Youyuan lay nestled in bed, a urine bag hanging by his side. The blanket covered him completely, with only the back of his hand exposed for the IV drip, the skin marked with injection bruises, veins nearly indiscernible.
Upon seeing Lin Ge, he made a slight movement of his eyes, signaling Butler Lin to adjust the bed slightly.
Wanting to sit up, he was gently restrained by Lin Ge, a hint of tenderness in his eyes as they reddened silently.
“Uncle Lin, don’t strain yourself. Whatever you want to say, I can hear you.”
Lin Youyuan lifted his weak fingers and pointed to the documents on the bedside table. Butler Lin fetched them for him.
Due to his ventilator, speaking was not convenient for him, so Butler Lin relayed his message.
“Young Master, Jingtai Group is on the verge of bankruptcy, and you are aware of the asset liquidation…”
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Lin Ge nodded, sitting on the edge of the bed, clenching the fabric on his knee with a hint of sadness.
“I’m sorry, Uncle. It’s my fault, I couldn’t turn the tide.”
Butler Lin sneered inwardly, thinking to himself.
Not only did you fail to turn the tide, but you also added fuel to the fire.
Lin Youyuan waved his hand, signaling not to talk about these matters.
He still insisted on speaking, so the butler had to help him up, propping him with a pillow behind his back and removing the oxygen mask.
Lin Youyuan spoke a few words but needed to pause to catch his breath, as if he could run out of air at any moment.
“After the asset liquidation… some of the money… cough… has been frozen… some will be used… used for employee layoffs…”
Trembling, Lin Youyuan grabbed Lin Ge’s hand, speaking with great seriousness.
“I… I have set aside a portion for you and your mother… and there’s a subsidiary overseas… under your mother’s name… it will be yours in the future… Use this money… to live a good life with Jingru.”
As Lin Ge listened to the first part, a hint of sorrow remained on his face. However, when he heard his mother’s name being mentioned, he pressed his lips together, masking any expression.
Their hands still clasped together, but he no longer felt any warmth.
When he had just entered the room, he felt a bit warm, but now he was shivering all over.
Lin Ge asked hoarsely, “Uncle, why are you so good to me, so good to my mother… is it because—”
He found it almost difficult to articulate what he had witnessed many years ago, the scene where the two people who had treated him with profound kindness had destroyed his brief childhood himself, plunging him into an abyss of guilt and shame, a fate from which he could never escape.
Lin Youyuan started coughing, conveniently interrupting his words, gripping his hand even tighter, almost causing pain, tears welling up in his cloudy eyes.
“Cough… It’s my fault towards your father… He was already gone when you were born… I promised him… if we ever had children… we must take care of each other…”
As he spoke, he grabbed the folder from the bedside and stuffed it into his hand, not closing his mouth properly, causing two plane tickets and several large checks to fall out.
“Take these… take them… go to Canada…”
Lin Ge had always been a person with strong self-control, able to conceal all emotions very well. But at this moment, if it weren’t for Butler Lin still present, he would almost have rushed up and immediately twisted his neck.
Why?!
Why should he go to Canada, giving up everything he had worked so hard for in China!
Why had he been sent to the United States for studies under the guise of it being for his own good, not knowing what he had experienced alone in a foreign land?!
After finally completing his studies with confidence and anticipation of returning to China to join the core research laboratory at Jingtai to further develop research projects, Lin Youyuan issued an order sending him to a remote branch as a manager, a position completely unrelated to his expertise, and clearly a demotion.
Unable to accept this, he had no choice but to resign and, with the help of friends, opened his own dental clinic, much to Lin Youyuan’s fury. Lin Youyuan, in his anger, not only accused him of being ungrateful but even his mother, whom he had always respected, called him a white-eyed wolf.
Like Lin Yan in the past, Lin Youyuan was the kind of parent who wanted to control everyone’s lives with his authoritarian decisions.
The difference was that Lin Yan chose to break away, while he chose to endure silently.
Why should he be bullied by everyone just because he had always been a timid and obedient student who followed orders from a young age?
Lin Ge gritted his teeth, perhaps realizing that his expression was too fierce at the moment. He softened his demeanor, grasped Lin Youyuan’s hand again, and spoke tactfully but with an assertive tone.
“Uncle Lin, I’m sorry, I can’t do it. Since you’ve treated me like family, how could I abandon Jingtai and go abroad at this moment? I will stay here and face life and death with Jingtai.”
“Please rest early. There are still matters at the company. I’ll head back first.”
With that, he withdrew his hand from Lin Youyuan’s grasp, got up, and left without looking back.
Lin Youyuan leant against the head of the bed, coughing violently. The butler patted his back to ease his discomfort, then lifted the medicine up for him to drink.
After a while of frantic movements, he gradually calmed down. When he unfolded the handkerchief covering his mouth, it was all soaked in blood.
Butler Lin threw the handkerchief into the water basin next to the bed and helped him lie down to rest.
“Master, please get some sleep.”
However, Lin Youyuan suddenly opened his tightly closed eyes. The bewildered look vanished, replaced by a glint of determination.
Through gritted teeth, he spoke each word deliberately.
“Did you see? He wants to kill me.”
Butler Lin’s face showed a touch of sorrow.
“Master…”
Lin Youyuan’s lips trembled.
“Let him come, I have something to say to him.”
Lin Ge returned to his own home, and the attendant approached him, “Young Master…”
Before he could finish speaking, Lin Ge had already pushed him aside.
“Where’s my mother?!”
“Young Master!” The attendant hurried after him.
Lin Ge pushed open the door of the bedroom, where several family doctors were gathered around the sickbed, working to save the patient, with medical instruments beeping incessantly.
Mother Lin lay in bed, still retaining a shred of consciousness. Upon seeing her son, a hint of relief appeared in her eyes.
Before she could even smile, Lin Ge coldly gestured with his hand.
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“Everyone, get out.”
The doctors turned to look at him, exchanging glances.
Lin Ge’s expression remained devoid of emotion. “Are you all deaf? Get out, let her die!”
Mother Lin’s complexion suddenly turned ashen, and the readings on the medical equipment plummeted rapidly, nearing a critical low.
Under his forceful command, the doctors reluctantly set down their syringes and departed one by one.
Lin Ge signaled to his attendant with a glance, nodding slightly to indicate he would handle the situation, before closing the door behind them.
Mother Lin’s expression shifted from relief to terror. As Lin Ge approached the bedside step by step, she let out a muffled plea for help.
“Uh… uh…” Her breaths labored like a bellows.
Lin Ge removed the oxygen mask from Mother Lin, easing her “pain”.
“Mom, you’ve endured so many years, it hasn’t been easy. You’ve worked hard too.” As he spoke, his eyes reddened silently, a tender expression gracing his face. Gently, he pulled out the IV needle from the back of her hand, causing a splash of blood.
Mother Lin couldn’t even groan in pain anymore, her cloudy eyes filled with tears, shaking her head desperately.
Lin Ge intended to remove the electrodes attached to her body to maintain her vital signs.
“Mom, before you pass away, I have a question I want to ask you…”
His hand paused, and Mother Lin seemed to glimpse a glimmer of hope, nodding laboriously to indicate he could speak.
“Whose son am I really? How exactly did my father die?”
As he spoke, he caressed his mother’s face, wiping away her tears. Finally, he grasped her neck, a look of madness crossing his face, gritting his teeth.
“Speak! What is the truth between you and Uncle Lin, why did you get involved with him?!”
He raised his voice, roaring at her.
As if to confirm something, with his roar, the readings on the life support monitor plummeted rapidly, sinking to the lowest point.
Amidst a series of urgent and prolonged beeping sounds, before he could react, Mother Lin’s head had already tilted to the side, her eyes still open, bloodshot with bulging eyeballs.
He recoiled as if shocked, gently patting her face.
“Mom? Mom?”
Receiving no response, he looked at his own hands in disbelief, his face filled with panic and confusion.
“No… it wasn’t… I didn’t use force… Mom!”
“Mom!!!”
“Ahhhh!”
He collapsed, kneeling beside the bed, lifting her already cold hand to his face, weeping bitterly.
After Lin Ge left, the Lin residence welcomed another unfamiliar visitor.
As soon as he entered, he intended to remove his hat to salute, but Lin Youyuan, sitting on the bed, looking much better than before due to the medicine, waved his hand to stop him.
“The things are prepared, take them.”
It was still the same folder, but this time it only contained checks. The housekeeper picked it up and handed it to Feng Jianguo.
As Feng Jianguo held the weighty millions in his hands, he visibly faltered, his lips pressed tightly together.
He knew that once he took this money, the Lin’s Estate would collapse.
However, Lin Youyuan smiled as if unconcerned, coughing into his handkerchief.
“Take it. Anyway, when the mission is over, your police force won’t actually allow this money to fall into the hands of criminals. It belongs to Lin Yan.”
The old fox truly lived up to his reputation.
Feng Jianguo, feeling helpless, said, “Won’t you consider supporting grassroots development after all the hard work and effort we’ve put in?”
Cough cough… “Over these years… I’ve supported too little…” Lin Youyuan coughed a few times, covering his mouth with a handkerchief. He set it down and gazed at the once dynamic young man before him, now aging with silver hair at his temples, feeling a hint of nostalgia in his eyes.
“Once this matter is resolved, I can finally rest easy.”
Feng Jianguo was slightly moved, but unsure of what to say or how to advise. His throat moved slightly, but no words came out.
“I must remind you, that Supreme Lord… He is cunning and devious… not easily dealt with…” Speaking of this person, Lin Youyuan clenched the sheets, gritting his teeth.
“You must… eradicate him completely. He is full of evil, if you can take him down on the spot, do it. Do not give him a chance to survive… otherwise, the consequences will be endless.”
Others may not know that the elderly man in front of them, in his waning years battling illness, was a prominent figure in the tumultuous era of the 1960s, feared by both sides of the law.
But Feng Jianguo understood well. Lin Youyuan’s leg was the “masterpiece” of that Supreme Lord.
Stepping back, feet together, Feng Jianguo saluted with military precision, showing the gravity of the situation.
“Yes, I guarantee the mission will be completed.”
Lin Youyuan waved his hand, seeming utterly exhausted.
As Feng Jianguo was about to turn and leave, he paused and asked, “Why me?”
Lin Youyuan smiled but remained silent.
He knew he could never forget that day in 1982 when Lin Yan was kidnapped.
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Everyone, including himself, was in a frenzy as they desperately fought against the criminals.
Despite successfully rescuing the hostage, Lin Cheng was tortured to death amidst the chaos, and everyone’s priority had been to save him.
Only this young and inexperienced criminal detective, probably newly hired, still with a hint of greenness, a stubble of green on his chin, was the first to rush in, draping his own clothes over her, carrying Lin Yan out. Tears streamed down his face as he ran, crying uncontrollably like a lost child.
It was the most primitive form of reverence and compassion for life, a look that had also appeared on the faces of old friends.
From that moment on, he engraved the name of this young detective in his heart, subtly supporting him as he grew stronger, climbing step by step to heights unreachable to ordinary people.
This time was no different.
He chose to believe in him, in that inexperienced young police officer from years ago, who still carried a fervent and pure heart.
May this hope not be in vain.
After he left, Lin Youyuan tremblingly turned sideways and retrieved a yellowed black and white photo from the bedside drawer. It was a group picture, with both men and women.
One of the boys looked a lot like Song Yuhang.
His rough hand caressed the figures in the photo, tears suddenly rolling down his face.
“Old buddy, we’ll meet again.”
To avoid drawing attention, Lin Yan went straight home from the underground parking lot. Upon entering, he went to take a shower first. After showering, he looked at the bloodstained clothes on the floor with a furrowed brow and lifted them with two fingers to examine.
There was a cut at the hem.
Even though what she did appeared natural, the cut looked like it could have been accidentally torn. But Lin Yan still saw through the ruse.
She gave a self-deprecating smile, picked up a bottle of alcohol, poured it on the clothes, and threw a match on it.
The flames roared, engulfing the evidence.
Song Yuhang, this time you are destined for disappointment.
Jiangcheng City Public Security Bureau.
Technical Investigation Department Laboratory.
“Xiaofang, where is Sample 03? The one that was just sent over yesterday.”
Fang Xin looked up from the microscope.
“Isn’t it right there? It’s in the cabinet labeled with a number.”
“I can’t find it. Can you come help me look?” A colleague’s anxious voice came through.
Fang Xin, feeling resigned, replied, “Alright, alright, I’m coming.”
She temporarily placed the test tube she held into the rack before rushing over to assist.
As she left, someone swiftly passed by her workstation, the whole process taking less than three seconds.
Returning, Fang Xin found the test tube still intact in place, breathing a sigh of relief before continuing her work.
Her other colleagues are getting ready to leave work.
“Fan Xin, we’re leaving.”
“Aren’t you leaving yet?”
Without lifting her head, she replied, “Not yet, I’ll head back later. See you tomorrow.”
Her colleague yawned, giving her a pat on the shoulder.
“See you tomorrow.”
LP: … This chapter is just *whooosh* SO MANY REVELATIONS, I’M JUST MIND BLOWNED!