Chapter 29: What Enters the Eye Is a Blinding Red

The kidnapping drama beloved by the masses had indeed happened after all.

Honestly speaking, this kind of thing was very common in this world. Among A City’s wealthy heirs, as long as they were not targets protected around the clock, almost all of them had childhood experiences of being kidnapped.

But only after personally experiencing it could Lin Jiangye understand what kind of impact a kidnapping case would bring to the people who cared about him.

Lin Yu’s lips were extremely pale. His hands and legs were trembling uncontrollably. Clearly, he had undergone intense physical exertion beyond what he could bear in a short period of time and might lose strength and collapse at any moment, but absolutely could not collapse.

Looking at it this way, Yu Wangxiao putting a locator on him suddenly became very reasonable. It even seemed especially considerate and normal…

Lin Jiangye was lost in thought, while Lin Yu had not finished speaking. His voice was hoarse like a male goose.

“It’s that Sky Pavilion project, Area B. There’s a five-story water slide. If you slide down from the roof, you drop straight into the pool. With such a wide-open place, I thought it would definitely be safe…” Lin Yu spoke very quickly, his eyes reddening more and more as he talked. “I never expected Xiao Yao to disappear from inside the slide. It was like he vanished on the spot. No matter what, I couldn’t find him!”

“He disappeared inside the slide? That does sound a little strange.” Lin Jiangye frowned slightly.

The entertainment facilities on the cruise were all equipped with dozens of lifeguards, and there were cameras everywhere today. To silently kidnap someone required unconventional means and a precise plan.

The act of kidnapping Lin Jingyao could not have been a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Lin Yu roared at him with a dark face. “Lin Jiangye, how can you be so calm? He’s our younger brother. You heartless thing, aren’t you anxious? Or did you secretly do something long ago?”

“I was dating my husband just now and didn’t go anywhere. What do you think I could have done?” Lin Jiangye’s face also darkened. “Lin Yu, sit down. What’s the use of relying on us to find someone? If this really is a kidnapping, we need professionals. Have you contacted the organizers and explained clearly? Let them provide access permissions so the search can be efficient. I’ll call the police first.”

Lin Yu did not sit down. He hurriedly took out his phone, obediently making a call while gritting his teeth. “No, explain this first. Was this done by you or not? You have to promise me that you absolutely don’t have any selfish thoughts of hurting Xiao Yao, and that you absolutely won’t help the wicked and snatch Xiao Yao’s things. Swear a poisonous oath.”

“Lin Yu, if you randomly put accusations on me, shout and make trouble in my husband’s room, I’ll knock out your front teeth, break your legs, and throw you into the river.” Lin Jiangye looked at him expressionlessly.

He was not threatening him, but stating a fact. The only inaccurate part might be the words “my husband.” After all, borrowing Yu Wangxiao’s name was truly too suitable for calming down an irritable person.

People who only acted emotionally would only create trouble if they stayed at the scene.

“…”

Lin Yu indeed calmed down a little. Instinctively, he wanted to retort, but forcibly endured it. He rubbed his temples and desperately tried to soften his tone, but the effect was still poor. “Lin Jiangye, don’t throw a child’s tantrum. If you have clues on your side, hurry and say them. Don’t keep us in suspense. If anything happens to Xiao Yao, I really will kill you and bury you with him.”

“Lunatic.”

“You…”

“You’re a lunatic.” Lin Jiangye repeated seriously.

Lin Yu was so angry he wanted to laugh. “Fine, I’m a lunatic. Ancestor, can I call you Ge? Ask Chairman Yu to help find him. From now on, you can be my actual father if you want.”

Lin Jiangye nodded. He first sent a message to notify Yu Wangxiao, then opened his contacts, found Gu Jiu’an’s contact information, and quickly called him.

Right now, Yu Wangxiao was still under the livestream cameras. It was unsuitable for him to suddenly leave, and if someone was watching the livestream feed to observe him, it would easily alert the snake.

He needed to first confirm the location of Gu Jiu’an’s father and eliminate the most suspicious person.

Beep—

Beep—

“Hello, the number you have dialed is not within the service area. Please try again later…”

Not in service area?

A little strange. Gu Jiu’an should be on the cruise today. Lin Jiangye had confirmed it beforehand and even asked him to keep an eye on his father.

Lin Jiangye glanced at his phone screen and discovered that his own signal was also very poor.

Perhaps it was because the ship had departed according to schedule, and the network was temporarily unstable. Once they completely left the harbor and got farther from the city, the signal would become worse and worse, making contact difficult.

He immediately got up and walked outside, searching for a corner with signal. Chen Ming looked over in confusion, pressed down the brim of his cap, and followed him. Lin Yu also panted and hurriedly chased after him. “What’s wrong? A clue?”

“No signal.” As Lin Jiangye walked, he asked, “Speaking of which, Lin Yu, have you not guessed what’s going on yourself? For example, those little schemes of Lin Bingsheng’s. Do you really not know?”

“It wasn’t Dad who did it! I advised him. He promised me he wouldn’t do this kind of thing again. And the Gu family also agreed to invest in our new project. The latest equipment has already been fully installed in public hospitals, except for the ones funded by Yu Corporation. It’s enough…”

“You really are a little stupid. Also, keep your voice down.” Lin Jiangye frowned and interrupted him. He found an open area and tried calling Gu Jiu’an again.

There were too many people. He and Gu Jiu’an were not familiar either, so there was no way to directly locate him by sound through the noise of the crowd and equipment.

Before the call connected, Lin Yu anxiously refuted him. “What do you mean? You don’t believe me?”

“Then tell me, what necessity does the Gu family have to offend Yu Wangxiao just to invest in you? Is it worth it to earn only the price difference of a dozen or so medical devices, plus a supply chain that failed to become a monopoly?”

“What does the Lin family have now that can influence the overall situation? Even adding the Qiu family won’t help. Without an overwhelming absolute benefit in front of them, who would be willing to use liquid funds to help you fill your hole? How do you expect me to believe Lin Bingsheng?”

This time, it was not a lack of signal. Gu Jiu’an was not answering.

Lin Jiangye held his phone and felt a little thirsty from talking.

He took two soft serves from a nearby dessert station, gave one to Chen Ming, then turned and directly jogged upstairs along the escalator.

Since Gu Jiu’an was not answering, he could only personally search.

“Fuck, why are you running so fast? Wait… Hah, fine, I admit you have a point. But according to what you said, even if Dad really sent Xiao Yao to that Gu guy’s bed, that still wouldn’t have meaning, right? That little benefit is useless to the Gu family too, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. So perhaps he’s only an appetizer. Under the condition of having absolute interest, obtaining Lin Jingyao could make the person with decision-making power lean more toward the Lin family and become more willing to take risks.”

“…Lin Jiangye, you mean my dad gave the Gu family even more benefits behind my back? Xiao Yao is equivalent to an added bribe, and I’m the only one who was kept in the dark from beginning to end. Is that what you mean?”

Lin Jiangye did not speak. He avoided the livestream cameras and walked straight into the guest room area on the second floor. The corridor was so long that the end could barely be seen.

After confirming the network here had full bars, he called Gu Jiu’an’s WeChat while slowing his pace, tilting his ear to listen to the heartbeats and voices inside each room.

This was the most efficient inspection method. There was no need to directly break in.

“Lin Jiangye, speak. Do you know what our dad did or not?” Lin Yu worked very hard to lower his voice.

Lin Jiangye licked his soft serve and thought for a moment. He did not plan to speak recklessly without ironclad evidence. But this was a good opportunity, even if it made him seem a little wicked.

Because he had checked the USB drive Qiu Zhen gave him. He had checked it many times. There were many miscellaneous things inside, all kinds of photos and spreadsheets, even a photo of Lin Bingsheng’s first love.

But aside from double-entry books and some lists of doctors who liked large kickbacks, there seemed to be nothing especially useful. Relying only on these mosquito legs would not hurt an old fox like Lin Bingsheng at all.

Lin Jiangye had gone back through the seemingly legal contents and discovered the part he felt was most wrong.

Year after year of large sponsorship payments to orphanages.

It was Lin Bingsheng’s personal sponsorship, a very large sum of money.

He saw photos of Lin Bingsheng with the children he had sponsored, holding babies for pictures, cordially shaking hands with the director. Some of the photos had even appeared on local TV news, and he had bought trending searches praising him several times. It looked clean and innocent, extremely great.

But this was the most terrifying part, because Lin Jiangye went to check the earliest group photos from those years, searched the children’s names, and discovered that all of them had vanished from the world within a year after being adopted.

Disappearance, death from illness, falling off a cliff during travel, accidental car crashes, drowning in swimming pools. He Chen had helped him investigate. The younger the child, the faster they disappeared. One infant had even choked on milk and died on the day of adoption, then was buried hastily.

Yet these adopters had no problems. They were all ordinary families who had passed strict checks. Their only issue was perhaps… that they had no connection to Lin Bingsheng. Truly no connection.

Precisely because of this, no one would deeply connect the fate of these children with Lin Bingsheng’s sponsorship. Even if there were genuine suspicions, there was no evidence.

Since that was the case, he could only extract more clues from the mouth of the person closest to Lin Bingsheng.

“Do you know the password to the safe in Lin Bingsheng’s office?” Lin Jiangye looked at the panting Lin Yu, his expression still calm.

“You’re asking this now? Mm, I know.”

Without waiting for Lin Jiangye to ask again, Lin Yu gave a cold laugh. “The safe is hidden behind an oil painting, built into the bricks. Also, the oil painting isn’t in his office. It’s in the staff restroom on the top floor. If I didn’t tell you, you’d absolutely never find it. Mom told you there was a safe, right? She doesn’t know the details either.”

Lin Jiangye was somewhat surprised, and even his speed of eating the soft serve slowed. “You suddenly got smart?”

“I just really hate you. I’m not an idiot.”

“One more question. Does your dad like children?”

“No. He’s very annoyed by them.”

“You’ve never seen him spend time with children? Are you sure he isn’t a pedophile?”

“My fucking dad, of course he isn’t! Lin Jiangye, what the hell are you thinking?!”

Lin Jiangye swept him a glance, then abruptly stopped. “No manners. What he can give the Gu family is probably even more terrifying than the child himself… Mm? This guest room smells bloody. Gu Jiu’an, are you inside?”

Bang!

As soon as the words fell, Chen Ming caught up and kicked the electronic door lock apart with one foot, slamming the door open.

What entered the eye was a blinding red.

Thick blood covered the carpet, and part of it had already turned dark red. Gu Jiu’an was leaning against the headboard, one hand severed. His ankle was tied to the bedpost. His eyes were still fairly calm, but his lips were very pale.

His phone was on the other side of the room, emitting an irritating ringtone.

This should have been an unoccupied guest room.

“No wonder you didn’t answer the phone.” Lin Jiangye put away his phone, stepped around the carpet, and followed the stronger smell of blood toward the bathroom.

Chen Ming did not hesitate to help untie Gu Jiu’an, pressing tightly on his wound as he asked with concern, “Young Master Gu, how do you feel? What happened?”

“…He didn’t even look at me once.” Gu Jiu’an’s face darkened, and a bitter smile spilled from his dry throat. “Mr. Chen, please help me call the police and ask an emergency helicopter to come. My dad might be dying.”

…

“My god…”

At the same time, on the other side of the suite, Lin Yu deeply regretted chasing Lin Jiangye into the bathroom.

On the cold tile floor lay a bald middle-aged man whom everyone recognized.

His chest had been chopped more than ten times, and he was unconscious. Blood blurred his clothes and flesh, bubbling with wet sounds. There were even some fine minced pieces of flesh sliding along the blood into the drain, impossible to retrieve.

“He’s about to die. His breathing is very weak.” Lin Jiangye carefully moved closer to take a photo and sent it to Yu Wangxiao. “Do you think it’s possible Lin Jingyao did this? When you set out today, was he carrying a knife?”

“Lin Jiangye, if you don’t know how to speak, shut the fuck up!”

“You have no manners.”

“…Jiangye, President Lin, stop arguing. I know who the culprit is.” Gu Jiu’an was supported over by Chen Ming, weak and powerless.

“Who?” Lin Yu immediately turned back.

“A woman nearly thirty years old. She disguised herself as a server and snuck in. I’ve seen her before. Her surname is Ouyang.”

Lin Jiangye paused. “Ouyang Jia? Isn’t she your uncle’s lover?”

This surname was somewhat special, and Lin Jiangye had a particularly deep impression of her. Yu Wangxiao had just talked with him about the incident the Gu family had caused by hiring people in North City. It was this woman named Ouyang Jia who had been directly pushed out to take the blame.

The first trial had ended not long ago, and the second trial date had not yet been set, but imprisonment was inevitable.

Gu Jiu’an stretched out his uninjured hand and gently tugged at Lin Jiangye’s sleeve, saying in a low voice, “It’s her. Come out a little. Don’t let the blood dirty your shoes. You look very good today.”

Chen Ming raised his brows when he heard this. Lin Jiangye did not notice and was quickly pulled out of the bathroom by Gu Jiu’an.

“Ouyang Jia should be in a detention center in North City right now. How did she appear in A City? So strange.” Lin Jiangye was a little confused.

“She was probably released on bail after appealing. Pay some ransom, and before the final judgment, she can move freely. For the Gu family, this kind of thing isn’t difficult.” Gu Jiu’an seemed weak, but he still patiently explained slowly.

Chen Ming simply bandaged his wrist and quickly went to notify the staff. The helicopter would arrive in five minutes. The medical team he called first carried Gu Jiu’an’s father onto a stretcher bed. After emergency treatment, they began attempting CPR.

Once professionals arrived, everyone suddenly had nothing much to do. This included searching for Lin Jingyao inside the cruise ship, which was like a huge building. That task was also handed over to the security team familiar with the venue, making it more efficient.

Lin Yu was anxious, but the strength of one person was meaningless. He could only chase after Gu Jiu’an and continue asking, “Gu family kid, did you see Lin Jingyao today?”

“No. My dad said he brought me here to play with something fresh and meet someone…” Gu Jiu’an paused, avoiding Lin Yu’s instantly furious stare, and softly said, “As soon as we entered the room, that woman first chopped me once, then chased after my dad to chop him. I have mild hemophobia. After I fainted, I didn’t know anything.”

Lin Jiangye blinked meaningfully and realized Gu Jiu’an’s last sentence was a lie. As the male second lead, he had highlight scenes in the book. He did not faint at blood at all, and he could even chop off both legs of kidnappers in order to rescue the original owner.

Perhaps he never intended to save his father and directly pretended to faint. But that was fine too. Some humans were too bad. As long as they lived, they poisoned society.

So while waiting for the helicopter to arrive, Lin Jiangye simply sat down at the head of the bed and focused on another topic. “Did your grandma transfer her shares to you?”

Gu Jiu’an smiled palely. “Mm, she transferred them. The agreement has already been signed. Thank you.”

“Then from now on, you’re the boss of the Gu family?”

“…There’s still a tough battle to fight, but the advantage is much greater now.”

“Fuck!”

Halfway through their conversation, Lin Yu suddenly shouted a curse.

Lin Jiangye turned his head speechlessly. “Can you have some manners?”

“Xiao Yao was found. Luckily, the watch I gave him this morning has GPS. I forgot about that completely. The police followed the signal and found him. He’s fine. Thank goodness, thank goodness… But Lin Jiangye, guess where the police found him?” Lin Yu held his phone, his entire body relaxing, but his eyes were still furious.

“Don’t keep me in suspense.”

“Hah. On your dear husband’s island!”