Chapter Forty-Eight: The Darkest Day

Lin Yuxin stared at the phone screen displaying the ended call. Her delicate hand holding the phone trembled slightly, and not only did her heart quiver, but a chill spread through her, accompanied by sharp, twisting pain.

She wasn't deaf; she hadn't caught every word the woman on the other end said, but she was certain it was a woman's voice, and that she was speaking to Hong Chen, for he had responded. If it hadn't been for Hong Chen's earlier boastful words, and that final farewell, she might have still clung to a shred of hope. But now, even self-deception was impossible.

She stood there, stunned for a full fifteen minutes before finally blinking hard. The tears that had welled in her eyes at last fell, and she quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand, took in a sharp breath, then exhaled a long sigh to clear her chest of its sorrow.

Without a trace of expression, she got out of bed, washed up, and left her room...

At noon, she contacted Baldy. By three in the afternoon, Lin Yuxin, Lin Yufei, and Lin Yuangui all went together to the tea house where they had arranged to meet.

Baldy had already booked a private room and brought two of his men. The long table fit the six of them, three to a side, facing each other.

There was no small talk. Lin Yuxin opened by taking out a copy of the IOU and confirming the amount: “The sum on this note is three million, but my sister says it was actually one and a half million, interest included, witnessed by two guarantors. Is there any problem with this?”

As the president of a company, Lin Yuxin never trusted verbal promises, only what was written and signed. This had become instinct for her. Even though Lin Yufei had sworn last night that all was in order, she still felt uneasy and worried, so she insisted on verifying it first.

And as it turned out, her concern was not unwarranted. Baldy shook his head slowly. “Miss, you’re mistaken. Once overdue, the amount on the note is what counts. That’s the rule. Your sister missed the deadline, so now it’s three million, not one and a half.”

Lin Yuxin and Lin Yuangui were both stunned, turning to Lin Yufei in shock.

Lin Yufei was completely flustered, stammering, “How can that be? You never said— I didn’t know there was such a rule.”

Baldy shrugged. “You can ask the two guarantors. I only lent the money because they were willing to guarantee it.”

Lin Yufei was about to call, but Lin Yuxin stopped her and made the calls herself, one to Lin Huihuang, the other to Lin Meimei. After more than ten minutes, she hung up, feeling as though her heart was plunging into an abyss.

Both of them gave the same answer as Baldy. In other words, if the money had been repaid yesterday, it would have been one and a half million. But as of today—more precisely, from the moment Baldy and Fat Lady came to collect the debt— it had become three million.

With the situation as it was, there was no point in further discussion. Lin Yuxin couldn’t easily accept the debt, but neither did she burn her bridges—doing so would only lead to immediate conflict with Baldy.

She said she’d need a few days to raise the money. Baldy agreed, giving her until midnight next Tuesday to settle the account.

After leaving the tea house, Lin Yuxin told Lin Yufei to go home on her own, then asked Lin Yuangui to contact their second uncle and third aunt, instructing them to bring Lin Huihuang and Lin Meimei to the old lady’s house.

Three million was more than their family could bear. It might be an exaggeration to say it was the end of the world for them, but they’d certainly been forced into a dead end.

Face didn’t matter anymore. No matter the odds, some things had to be fought for.

They arrived at the old Lin residence at five. The old matriarch sat in the center of the hall, her face grave. The second and third branches of the family had already arrived. The nearly two hours that followed were spent in biting argument.

For the first hour, Lin Yuxin argued about Lin Yufei’s debt. Lin Huihuang and Lin Meimei acted like shameless curs. No matter how reasonable Lin Yuxin’s points, they had only one response: Lin Yufei brought this on herself. No one forced her to gamble, no one forced her to borrow money. If she didn’t understand the rules and still borrowed, it was like playing stocks without knowing the market—even if she lost everything, she had only herself to blame. No one else was responsible.

They refused to take responsibility for a single cent, nor would they lend a single cent, thrusting all the blame away as thoroughly as possible.

In the next hour, Lin Yuxin brought up the loan from Lin Feng Trading to Lin Group, and the counterfeit medicine incident. Not only had Hong Chen been made the scapegoat, but the two pharmacies that suffered losses were under Lin Group, part of the Lin family’s assets, and Lin Yuangui held ten percent of the company’s shares—which meant he suffered along with them. Yet second uncle and Lin Huihuang hadn’t paid a penny out of their own pockets. So now that Lin Yufei owed so much and their own family couldn’t pay, the rest of the Lin family ought to help.

Her reasoning was solid, but she hadn’t expected that the second uncle and third aunt would be even more shameless than their children. The Lin Group loan, they claimed, was just business and shouldn’t be conflated with private matters. As for the counterfeit medicine, in the end, second uncle argued it was a force majeure event, unrelated to Lin Yufei’s debt.

Lin Yuxin wanted to press further, but the old matriarch cut her off with finality: “One must bear the consequences of one’s own actions. The rest of the Lin family is not obliged to help. But since we are all family, if Yuanshan or Yuxin wish to cash in their shares in Lin Group or Lin Feng Trading, we can discuss a price.”

By the time she left, Lin Yuxin’s heart was cold as ice. In the past, however ugly her relatives’ behavior, she still clung to a trace of familial warmth. But today, faced with disaster, the Lin family’s indifference and shamelessness had destroyed that final trace of affection.

“Lin Huihuang and Lin Meimei gained nothing from guaranteeing such a large sum for Yufei, and yet they insist on it. Just one day’s delay and the debt doubles. Dad, I know you always felt indebted to the family because Grandfather assigned that business to you, and that’s why you let the family take advantage of us these past few years. We’ve swallowed a lot already, but this time, I’m utterly disappointed in them.” Once outside the house, Lin Yuxin spoke with an icy calm, then fell silent for the rest of the journey home.

Lin Yuangui said nothing, but his feelings were tumultuous, and he too was silent all the way.

At home, Lin Yuxin forced down a few mouthfuls of dinner, then went straight to bed. Today had been the darkest day she could remember—from Hong Chen’s betrayal, to Lin Yufei’s doubled debt, to the Lin family making her lose all hope.

She felt utterly drained, longing only for sleep. But little did she know, what awaited her the next day was not the lingering of this darkness, nor the dawn after the storm, but a day even darker still...

Elsewhere, at noon, Hong Chen and his companion finally met up with Tank and his partner. Acting as bait while heading north, Tank’s group had been ambushed six times. Yet when the attackers realized the target of the bounty wasn’t present, they all quickly broke off and retreated.

Without the lure of the bounty, and with no deep vendetta, only a fool would fight Tank and his partner to the death.

So, though Tank’s group seemed to have been in constant peril, in truth, the danger was more apparent than real.

Now arrived in the capital, the Long March was down to its final step. According to Tank, those individuals and factions tempted by the bounty would not dare make a move here—if the news spread that the eldest Miss Ji was killed in the capital, the culprit would be hunted relentlessly by the Ji family and the authorities. The odds of escaping the country were slim—it would be money at the cost of one’s life. And anyone truly capable would never stoop to being a mere assassin for money.

This “final step” was to go to the Ji family itself. Ji Yun had to be handed over to the old Master Ji in person. No one dared move against her in the capital, but that didn’t mean the Ji family members themselves wouldn’t.

All afternoon, Tank and Qiu loitered outside the rear gate of the sprawling Ji estate, which was as large as a small park. By nightfall, they’d gained nothing and slipped away.

At dinner, Tank explained the situation to Hong Chen, who was left speechless by the absurdity of it all. It turned out Tank’s plan had been for the two of them to stake out the gates until old Master Ji appeared, with Hong Chen caring for Ji Yun in the meantime. Otherwise, they’d have had to take turns, waiting as long as it took.

“If the old man were ill and stayed inside indefinitely, or if he never used that gate, would you keep waiting day after day, year after year?”

Tank looked rather embarrassed for a moment before replying, “It’s the safest method. Ji Yun’s identity must be kept secret until she’s handed over. Her brother insisted on that. If waiting doesn’t work, I’ll wait until the Ji family throws a banquet and sneak in then.”

Hong Chen rolled his eyes. “Tank, can I call you bro? You two might be able to wait, but I can’t stick around. I’m leaving tomorrow.”

After a moment’s thought, a glint flashed in his eyes and he said, “Leave it to me. Later tonight, I’ll sneak into the Ji estate. By sunrise, if I haven’t found the old man, I’ll force him to come out himself.”