She thought she could be very calm, as she was mentally prepared when she heard Zong Jinghao’s reminder. Yet, upon seeing him, the past, the wounds, the pains that were hidden in her heart surfaced.
She thought she had let go, but she did not.
Lin Guoan looked gloomy, but now it was him who was asking help from them shamelessly, so he couldn’t care about his dignity.
He knelt down with a thump by Lin Xinyan’s feet. “Yan, the company is going to close down, as we have a conflict with the owner of a project that suffered a collapse, which leads to casualty. I’m driven into a corner now. Please help me this time.”
Due to the project, he was already facing a lawsuit. Worse still, someone had died. Fortunately, he sold the Repulse Bay contract that Lin Xinyan gave him to get some money and appeased the family with a large sum of compensation in private settlement.
However, for the collapse of the project, the relevant authorities held a very serious attitude, so he would inevitably be held accountable.
Due to the inability to recover the large amount of funds invested in this project, the company suffered a capital chain rupture, and was facing bankruptcy.
Looking at the man kneeling at her feet, Lin Xinyan clenched her fists, and was trembling slightly. She didn’t want to admit her father-daughter relationship with him, nor the fact that she was once held by him, nor that she had called him ‘dad’ affectionately.
Such a man knelt down at this moment.
It would be a lie to say that she felt nothing, as she was not so hard-hearted.
Lin Xinyan said nothing, so Lin Guoan thought that she refused him, and said, with his horribly bloodshot eyes, “I have done what you asked me to do last time. Shen Xiuqing and I have divorced. She is left with nothing at all, as I don’t give her anything.”
This was also one of the reasons for Shen Xiuqing’s loss of control. Before she was married to Lin Guoan, she was a penniless and powerless call girl. After she married Lin Guoan, she never went out to make money and lived her life as a wife of a rich man.
How could she survive being left with nothing after a divorce?
She had familiarized herself with the circle of upper-class ladies, so she couldn’t stand doing some low-grade jobs now.
She had become accustomed to a life of superiority.
In addition, Lin Guoan blamed everything in the company on her, saying that the company fell into such a crisis because of the consequences of her angering Zong Jinghao. Not only did she fail to get him on their team, but also do him harm.
He even said that, Lin Xinyan would help him through the company’s difficulties as long as he divorced her.
Therefore, he forcibly took her to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get a divorce.
Shen Xiuqing blamed all this on Zong Jinghao. If it weren’t for the fact that he pretended to be lame, she wouldn’t have asked Lin Guoan to bring Lin Xinyan and her mother back from abroad.
If he didn’t pretend to be lame, she wouldn’t have asked Lin Xinyan to marry him.
There wouldn’t be the things that happened thereafter. She wouldn’t be afraid of Lin Xinyan’s revenge, and crazily wanted to get Zong Jinghao for her daughter. She also wouldn’t fall into the fate of having nothing and being divorced.
This was all Zong Jinghao’s fault.
If he didn’t pretend to be lame, everything would change.
Lin Xinyan wanted to make herself smile but failed. This man is as ruthless as ever.
First, she and her mother; and now, Shen Xiuqing.
“Yan, I regret it, really. I really shouldn’t abandon your mother and you.” Lin Guoan’s eyes reddened, and he almost shed tears. “If Shen Xiuqing wasn’t pregnant with my son, I wouldn’t be so cruel. You know, you were ten years old at the time, and your mother didn’t get pregnant again. I’m a man, and I needed a son—”
“Enough!” Lin Xinyan couldn’t bear to hear it anymore. Son? Son?
She detested it so much that her nails almost sank into the flesh of her palm without her realizing it.
She was trembling all over.
Zong Jinghao, who was sitting close to her, noticed her agitation, so he stretched out his uninjured hand to hold her hand tightly in his palm.
His palm was broad, strong and warm.
Yet, it could inexplicably comfort her.
Lin Xinyan slowly calmed down.
“You should leave first.”
“Yan—”
“Stop it. If you say one more word, I won’t even consider it!” Lin Xinyan snarled. Her emotions were a little out of control, as she became agitated once the emotion hit her.
Maybe it was the things that Lin Guoan did that couldn’t stop her from getting agitated.
“Calm down.” Zong Jinghao clasped her shoulders.
Lin Guoan opened his mouth and wanted to speak, but Zong Jinghao interrupted him. “If you want us to help, leave immediately!”
Despite his reluctance, he didn’t dare to stay any longer.
Soon, the living room fell into silence, while Aunt Yu didn’t dare to say anything. She initially thought that it was just a visit from a father, and never thought that there was even such a grudge between them.
Aunt Yu felt sorry for Lin Xinyan.
The child was always the ones that suffered the most when parents divorced.
Lin Xinyan wiped away the tears from her face. “Sorry for the disturbance.”
She lowered her head, her hair covering most of her face.
Whereas Zong Jinghao pursed his lips, not wanting to persuade her.
Some things couldn’t be let go with just a few words of relief from others, particularly in such a case.
Regardless of how much she hated Lin Guoan, she would still feel bad seeing him in such a state.
“Umm, what do you want to eat? I’ll make it for you.” Aunt Yu changed the topic, trying to ease the atmosphere.
Lin Xinyan appreciated Aunt Yu’s effort, and said, “I want something sweet.”
After she was pregnant, she didn’t like sour or spicy food, but preferred sweet food.
“Alright. I just bought fresh ribs today. I can make you sweet and sour ribs and a dessert.” Aunt Yu turned around and went to kitchen. When she reached the door, she glanced back and saw that the two people on the sofa were smiling.
After Aunt Yu left, the living room fell silent for a while.
“Did you do it?” Unknowingly, there was a questioning tone in her question.
“What?”
Lin Xinyan looked up to meet his eyes. It’s said that all businessmen play dirty, is he the same as well?
Will he use every means in his power—even murder—to achieve his goal?
“What do you mean?” Zong Jinghao’s pupils were dark, while he pretended to be calm and said, “Do you think that I have something to do with the person’s death?”
After three seconds of silence, she asked, “Don’t you?”
Suddenly, Zong Jinghao pinched her jaw. “In your opinion, what kind of person am I?”
He did do something to make Lin Group collapse and disappear.
Lin Group was originally like a dilapidated building under a tornado. With just a light push, it would immediately collapse. Why would he bother to go so far and even kill someone?
She actually thought that he did it.
She suspected him twice today; the first time was whether he really did something to Lin Yuhan at the Lins that day, and now she suspected that he had killed someone in order to achieve his ends.
Who does she think he is?
Met with his eyes that nearly exploded with rage, Lin Xinyan realized that she might be wrong. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to suspect you.”
Zong Jinghao was breathing heavily, but he didn’t ease his grip on her jaw.
He was still upset because she suspected him.
As his fingers were strong, her jaw hurt like it was dislocated. She didn’t say a word, nor plead, but accepted it in silence.
Zong Jinghao’s anger gradually eased under her silent forbearance.
He moved closer to her. “From now on, if you dare to suspect me indiscriminately again—”
