Lin Xinyan was stunned. “H-How did you know?”
But soon after that, she figured it out. Narrowing her eyes, she asked, “Did you know it a long time ago? It’s just that you didn’t tell me, right?”
Zong Jinghao tightened his grip on her hand. “Now don’t start to imagine things-”
“I am not. If you didn’t know it already, you wouldn’t have told me just now.” After the initial nervousness, clarity began to set in.
There must be a reason that Zong Jinghao hid it from me.
A thought popped into her head. Could it be that it was Lin Guoan who has died and not Zhuang Zijin? But it must have something to do with Zhuang Zijin… I mean, that’s why Zong Jinghao was hiding it from me, right?
It suddenly dawned on her that Zhuang Zijin had had a hidden agenda for insisting on remarrying Lin Guoan.
Thinking of this, she began to regret not stopping Zhuang Zijin at the time.
“When did it happen?” She had her eyes cast down while asking.
After a long silence, Zong Jinghao replied, “It was before Lunar New Year.”
In other words, it was just a few days ago.
“Is there any evidence?” asked Lin Xinyan.
“COD for Lin Guoan was because of nitrite overdose. And according to the maids, your mother has been cooking for him every day.”
She parted her lips but could not say anything. With a lump in her throat, she was annoyed that she didn’t notice what Zhuang Zijin was up to earlier.
In the cold wind, Zong Jinghao parked the car in the compound of the Criminal Investigative Division of B City.
Shen Peichuan, who was waiting at the entrance, took a few steps forward when he saw their car.
Soon after that, Lin Xinyan got out of the car, but hesitation stopped her in her tracks when she reached the entrance.
Zong Jinghao then came up to her to wrap his arms around her and comforted, “With Peichuan here, she won’t suffer. Don’t worry.”
Lin Xinyan nodded her head.
“Let’s go,” urged Shen Peichuan.
After entering the hall, Shen Peichuan led them to his office as he arranged for Zhuang Zijin to be brought over here.
“I’d like to talk to her in private,” Lin Xinyan said.
Shen Peichuan looked up at Zong Jinghao to get his consent before replying, “Come on in. I’ll bring her over later. No one will come here today.”
He was implying that she could say anything to Zhuang Zijin as no one would eavesdrop on their conversation.
Lin Xinyan nodded her head and walked into the office. The place was all cleaned up, so it was very tidy.
Sitting on the sofa, Lin Xinyan was not in the mood to think about other things. She just wanted to see Zhuang Zijin quickly and to ask her if things were like what she had thought.
Soon, the office door was pushed open. She immediately tensed up and straightened her back, but she did not dare to turn around.
Zhuang Zijin was also a little hesitant when she walked inside. Meanwhile, Shen Peichuan poured two glasses of water on the table and said in a low voice, “Take your time.”
They could stay however long they wanted.
Lin Xinyan responded in acknowledgment while Shen Peichuan exited the room and closed the door behind him.
After a while, Zhuang Zijin, who was standing behind her, broke the silence and called her, “Yan.”
Lin Xinyan clenched her fists, but said nothing.
Sighing, Zhuang Zijin walked over.
Lin Xinyan looked up and saw that Zhuang Zijin had become a lot thinner. It was probably all thanks to Shen Peichuan that she was not handcuffed and looked the same, like how she always was.
She studied Zhuang Zijin for a long time.
When she was on the way here, she had a lot of things to say, to question, and to complain, but the moment she saw her, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything.
It was probably because she did not know where to start.
Zhuang Zijin sat down across from her and apologized, “I’m sorry.”
It was all because of her. She only thought of herself and did not have Lin Xinyan’s interests at heart.
All the emotions that Lin Xinyan had been holding in came flooding out at this moment as she sneered. “What’s the use of apologizing? Is it worth it to get yourself in trouble in such a way—”
“Of course, it is,” Zhuang Zijin interrupted her. “He’s responsible for my son’s death. What I did was just sending him to meet my son. Am I wrong?”
Lin Xinyan looked at her in astonishment.
“In fact, since we came back and met him by accident, I’ve started to get in touch with him. I know that he was interested in the relationship between you and Zong Jinghao, and wanted to seek a connection with you. So I took this opportunity to get close to him. He thought I was still the same old me who would get cheated easily. But, who knew, he was the fool!” Zhuang Zijin got a little agitated when she said this.
She could still remember how much pain Lin Guoan had suffered before the poison ended his life. Standing by the bed, she watched him put up his deathbed struggle, but no one could save him.
“It’s you?” Lin Guoan bellowed with his bloodshot eyes.
“It’s me.” She looked at him condescendingly, her voice and expression void of warmth, appearing even colder than the snow outside. “Where did you get the confidence to believe that I can still forgive you abandoned and hurt me?”
“So you’ve come to seek revenge.” Lin Guoan’s heart raced. His breathing became shallow as if he would breathe his last in the next second.
Zhuang Zijin laughed. “A person like you doesn’t deserve to live. If it weren’t for you, Yan wouldn’t have to follow me and suffer so much. I feel sorry for my brother as I didn’t take good care of her. I feel sorry for my son, who had been living on borrowed time since birth, but his life was eventually taken away. It’s all your fault, Lin Guoan! If you hadn’t sent me away, Yan wouldn’t have to suffer with me, and my son wouldn’t have died. You brought it all upon yourself!”
Lin Guoan widened his eyes in shock. Son? What son?
He crawled to the edge of the bed and tugged at the hem of Zhuang Zijin’s top. “Your son?”
“I was pregnant when you sent me away.” Zhuang Zijing paused and looked at Lin Guoan. “But because I had a rough pregnancy, he was born autistic…”
Recalling her son’s death, Zhuang Zijin still felt her heart aching even to this day.
More precisely, she had never forgotten the pain of losing her son.
If it were not for Lin Xinyan, she would not have made it this far.
Lin Guoan opened his mouth, but nothing came out. I once had a son, but he died?
When he was sending Zhuang Zijin away, Shen Xiuqing said that she was pregnant with his son, which was why he made up his mind to send Zhuang Zijin away.
However, he did not know that Zhuang Zijin was also pregnant with a son.
At this moment, Lin Guoan regretted his decision back then.
As a man, he wanted a son.
Yet now, Zhuang Zijin told him that he had had a son, who had come to this world and seen a part of this world – unlike the one in Shen Xiuqing’s belly, that was gone even before he was born. But he had no knowledge of it at all.
At this instant, even a cruel man like him was also filled with regret.
Seeing Lin Guoan’s agony, Zhuang Zijin smiled. “Considering that you won’t be alive for long, I will tell you another secret – Yan is not your daughter.”
Lin Guoan widened his eyes. W-What did she say? Lin Xinyan isn’t my daughter?
“Y-You betrayed me…”
Zhuang Zijin did not want to explain, just so she could watch him suffer.
“Y-You b-b*tch.” Lin Guoan’s hand suddenly dropped to the side of the bed, as he breathed his last. His eyes were still wide opened as he was unwilling to die in peace.
Zhuang Zijin looked at him with indifference. If her brother hadn’t had a terminal illness and died at a young age, she would not have married Lin Guoan and brought along her family business.
She thought that Lin Guoan would be the right one for her, but to her chagrin, he was not even human.
