Chapter 52: Mom, Is This What You Wanted?

Chen Ming had hung Lin Bingsheng from the ceiling, tying him together with the glass chandelier, leaving him to sway there for an entire night.

No one touched him the whole time. No one paid him any attention. They simply treated him as if he did not exist.

As the person who had personally dug up piles of snow-white bones, Chen Ming had a very reasonable motive for deliberately tormenting him. No one had any objections.

The next morning, Lin Jiangye stood refreshed in the Lin family living room. He looked up at Lin Bingsheng, who was tied up like a rice dumpling, fell silent for a moment, then could not help laughing softly.

“Well, that’s good. Even if he wasn’t crazy before, being hung here like this would drive him crazy.”

Lin Bingsheng was already too exhausted to struggle. His blackened, bloodshot eyes followed the sound and looked at him. He weakly made a few “mmph mmph” noises, but most of the sound was blocked by the filthy rag stuffed in his mouth and could not be conveyed.

“Don’t mind him. Just let him hang there. Jiangye, have you eaten breakfast? Are you hungry?” Qiu Zhen asked.

She had never cooked in her life and rarely handled such chaotic situations by herself. Unfortunately, the housekeeper had also been driven away by Lin Bingsheng’s madness and resigned on the spot out of fright.

So she was left alone, clumsily receiving guests without any idea where to start. She could only first scold Lin Yu and tell him to immediately order takeout, then rummage through the fridge for several bottles of drinks, open a few boxes of ready-made pastries, and pile everything onto the coffee table.

Lin Yu was unexpectedly obedient to his mother. Even after being inexplicably scolded, he only sneered wordlessly and honestly called someone to deliver food.

As for the injured patient Lin Jingyao, he did want to come downstairs and help. But when he peeked out from the stair landing, he happened to meet Yu Wangxiao’s gaze… and was so frightened that he immediately hid back in his room.

That was just as well. Lin Jiangye did not want to see him right now either, so he simply pretended he had not noticed. He sighed and accepted the soy milk Qiu Zhen forced into his hand.

“I’ve eaten. I can still eat a little more.”

Qiu Zhen smiled, seemingly truly happy. “Good, good. If it’s not enough, tell your big brother to buy more. If he’s mean to you, Mom will smack him for you.”

“…Mm. It’s fine. Let’s handle the serious matter first.”

Although the strange unease from last night had been soothed, seeing Qiu Zhen in person today still made Lin Jiangye feel that her happy smile was somewhat—uncomfortably dazzling. He could not explain why, and he did not know what expression he should make.

So he furtively reached out and grabbed Yu Wangxiao, quickly pulling him closer. Only after leaning against a familiar arm and taking in his scent did Lin Jiangye feel a little more comfortable.

No explanation was needed. Yu Wangxiao let him cling, touch, and hug as he pleased. Then he took a small, cold object out of his suit pocket and placed it in Lin Jiangye’s palm.

“Cut Lin Bingsheng down.”

Lin Jiangye looked down and saw a miniature black folding steel knife lying in his palm.

The steel blade flicked open smoothly with a crisp snap. The edge was so sharp it was dazzling, clearly a fine item polished and maintained to perfection. Looking at it a few more times, one could almost feel a trace of coldness seeping from it.

“Tsk. A murder weapon, huh?”

The more Lin Jiangye looked at it, the more he liked it. He pinched the unsheathed knife between his fingers and lightly tossed it twice. Then he narrowed his eyes, aimed at the glittering glass chandelier above Lin Bingsheng’s head, and casually threw it without even giving a warning.

“Bang—!”

A dull crash froze the air for an instant. Immediately after, the crackling sound of shattering glass followed.

The large, intricately designed chandelier lost its support and came crashing down like a waterfall. It sounded like firecrackers going off as it shattered piece by piece onto Lin Bingsheng’s face and body. Glittering shards of glass spilled all over the floor.

The scene was far too grand. Qiu Zhen covered her mouth in a daze. Lin Yu, who had just finished making the phone call, stood at the entrance with his eyes wide open. After hesitating for a long while, he did not dare step inside and slowly spat out one clearly pronounced curse.

“It was only for self-defense,” Yu Wangxiao said unhurriedly, picking up the conversation. He was very satisfied with the spectacular scene Lin Jiangye had personally created. “Giving it to me would be too wasteful. I’ll give it to you.”

Lin Jiangye was also quite satisfied. Recently, his control over his own strength had improved somewhat. It was only knocking down a chandelier, after all. Just right. He would not easily smash a huge hole in the ceiling anymore.

He accepted the beautiful black knife without hesitation and happily played with it between his fingers. “No matter where you go, bringing me along is enough to keep you safe. I’m the best self-defense tool.”

Yu Wangxiao curled his lips. “Very reasonable. Very objective.”

“You’re copying my way of talking again.” Lin Jiangye laughed softly, then crouched in front of Lin Bingsheng, who was groaning in pain. With one slash, he cut open the transparent tape on Lin Bingsheng’s face and pulled out the filthy rag.

This time, Lin Jiangye used no technique at all. The sharp blade followed the outline of the tape and cut down hard, leaving a fresh wound deep enough to see bone.

Yellow-white fat and red-pink muscle mingled with the blood, interwoven with Lin Bingsheng’s heart-wrenching scream of pain. The sight was shocking. Qiu Zhen’s legs went weak, and she collapsed onto the carpet. Her lips trembled from extreme shock.

She did not dare make a sound. She secretly glanced at Lin Bingsheng. The miserable scene made her instinctively look away, but she could not help peeking again.

For some reason, the last time she looked, she no longer avoided it. She simply stared at the man before her, who was in an utterly wretched state, his face smeared with blood and tears, as if she had fallen into a trance.

“Qiu Zhen… ah… save… save me…”

Sensing her intense gaze, Lin Bingsheng mumbled and struggled like a stranded fish suffocating on land. His desperate, bloodshot eyes looked at her, staring at her with an overflowing plea.

Qiu Zhen’s lips moved, but she said nothing.

Lin Jiangye was too lazy to pay attention to Lin Bingsheng’s useless plea for help. He turned and found a tissue box on the coffee table, pulled out several sheets, then lowered his head and carefully wiped the damp blade. He continued joking with Yu Wangxiao.

“Seriously, after I graduate, I should just apply to Yu Corporation as your security guard. That way we can stay together every day.”

“No.”

Unexpectedly, Yu Wangxiao refused with remarkable decisiveness.

“Why not?”

“No.” Yu Wangxiao’s gaze fell on Qiu Zhen, as if he was thinking about something. “Tuantuan, you will find something you want to do. If you spend years together day and night, with an objective difference in position and a relationship of financial dependence… the ending usually won’t be good.”

“I don’t understand.”

Lin Jiangye played with the small knife and also tilted his head curiously to look at Qiu Zhen, but he could not see anything.

“Disgust, numbness, resentment, entangled with the faint pull of old feelings, will turn into a very complicated relationship,” Yu Wangxiao said thoughtfully. “Compared with Du Ning, Madam Qiu’s former life was very happy, wasn’t it?”

Lin Jiangye paused. Thinking back on the original novel’s description, before the economic conflicts broke out, the Lin family’s atmosphere… did seem to be like that.

Qiu Zhen had indeed never done a day of housework, never had anything she could not bear to buy, and never worried about an illegitimate child, because there really was none.

She did not need to work. She did not need to worry about company affairs. Her greatest worry back then had been Lin Jingyao’s future and reputation. For that, she had been unable to resist personally making some small moves. Even if she acted foolishly, someone would take the initiative to blame others for her.

Before Lin Bingsheng’s extreme side was exposed, everyone in the family listened to her, and Lin Bingsheng listened to her too. From the surface, Qiu Zhen even favored Lin Jingyao more, so everyone followed her wishes and doted on Lin Jingyao with peace of mind, without needing to think about whether they had wronged the original owner.

Even if Lin Bingsheng had thoughts of using the original owner, he would never show it at home. At the very beginning of the story, Qiu Zhen cried a few more times, and Lin Bingsheng was willing to relent and bring Lin Jingyao, who had already been sent abroad, back home. He did not oppose her at all.

“She seemed like the master of this house, as if she had enormous say. But in reality, as soon as Lin Bingsheng grew tired of it and stopped pretending to be the obedient, well-behaved good husband, or even if Lin Yu simply decided not to listen to her anymore… all that seemingly stable power and seemingly peaceful happiness would instantly become nothing but a mirage.”

Lin Jiangye thought very seriously about their deteriorated relationship and could not help sighing. Then he urgently confirmed, “Is that what you mean? It really seems like it. Wow, have I gotten smarter?”

“Tuantuan has always been very smart,” Yu Wangxiao said, touching his head. “And you already understand some human nature now.”

“Hmph. So don’t worry. We won’t become like that. If you get tired of me, I can just eat you. If I get tired of you… actually, I’ll still just eat you.”

Yu Wangxiao’s movements paused. His breathing quietly deepened. He tilted his head and leaned close to Lin Jiangye’s ear, speaking slowly in a nearly inaudible voice. “What should I do? That sounds very erotic.”

“…Hiss. It really does. Stop talking, stop talking.” Lin Jiangye tried hard to control his expression, suddenly feeling waves of heat spreading across the tips of his ears.

“Lin Jiangye, are you two done or not!”

At this moment, Lin Yu’s furious roar came from the entrance.

One sentence was not enough. He strode inside and glanced at the second-floor corner, then continued angrily, “Are you insane? At a time like this, you’re still hugging and sticking together while flirting? There’s a kid at home, okay? Watch your influence! What exactly are you going to do to our dad? How are you going to handle him? Say it clearly now. After you’re done with him, you two can go home and keep doing whatever you want!”

Lin Jiangye raised his brows as he listened. He felt that Lin Yu actually had a point. Right now, they really should first deal with the lump of rice dumpling on the floor… But before he could speak, Qiu Zhen suddenly stood up first, snapping out of her blank trance.

It was as if she instantly entered some kind of battle mode. She glared at Lin Yu and started scolding him. “What are you yelling for?! Is this how you yell at your younger brother? Who taught you to curse this and curse that all day long, as if the whole world wronged you? Did I wrong you too?! Lin Yu, lower your voice when you talk to me!”

“…Mom.” Lin Yu’s momentum vanished, but he was still somewhat unconvinced. “I was just worried…”

“And you dare tell them to go home? Is this not your brother’s home? Is it not Jiangye’s?” Qiu Zhen’s emotions were extremely agitated. Her voice trembled uncontrollably with sobs, and she gasped for breath.

It really was not. Everyone had known that for a long time. Lin Jiangye had barely ever come back to live here. Lin Yu nearly could not stop himself from retorting, but seeing Qiu Zhen so unstable, he could only forcefully swallow the words back.

He supported Qiu Zhen, patted her back to help her breathe, settled her on the sofa, and poured her a glass of water. Helplessly, he said, “Alright, Mom. Stop crying. It’s my fault. My mouth is cheap and my temper is bad. I’ll shut up the whole time from now on. Satisfied?”

“Don’t shut up just yet,” Lin Jiangye suddenly interjected. “Um, Lin Yu, I’m going to kill Lin Bingsheng now. Do you want to watch? If you don’t, you can leave first. But… I hope Mom stays.”

Lin Yu’s pupils shrank. For a moment, he almost suspected he had misheard. “What the hell are you—”

“Alright, Jiangye. Mom will stay with you,” Qiu Zhen directly interrupted him. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand and suddenly became excited. “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. Mom is here. Let’s kill this bastard together. Mom wanted to do this last night!”

“Mom, calm down. What are you saying? My God, are you crazy, Lin Jiangye?! Are you all crazy?”

Half of what he said was right. Lin Jiangye had already noticed Qiu Zhen’s abnormality. As long as he personally called Qiu Zhen “Mom,” Qiu Zhen would briefly enter a certain stress state. Her emotions became extremely agitated and undisguised, as if she had turned into a completely different person, impatiently wanting to do anything outrageous for her child.

More importantly, in that instant, she smelled extremely fragrant. Even more fragrant than before. Like honey melting under the blazing summer heat, its scent rapidly spreading everywhere…

The struggle between emotion and reason was too chaotic. Only Lin Jiangye could smell how this sharply contrasting fragrance bloomed so rapidly. Both times had been like this. It was more obvious than any character from the book he had met so far.

He did not intend to miss this chance. So he directly pushed aside the utterly shocked Lin Yu, took Qiu Zhen’s hand, and led her to Lin Bingsheng. Then he slowly crouched down.

“Mom, do you want him to die?” Lin Jiangye spun the small knife in his hand, grabbed Lin Bingsheng’s hair with one hand and pulled his head back to hold him in place. With the other hand, he lightly flicked out the blade, slowly pressing the sharpest part against Lin Bingsheng’s violently twitching carotid artery.

After pausing for a moment, he tilted his head to look at Qiu Zhen, smiled, and softly asked again, “Mom, is this what you want?”

“Yes… yes! But your hands can’t be dirtied. Jiangye, you are my son. How can I let you, let you… I’ll kill him!”

Qiu Zhen trembled as she grabbed Lin Jiangye’s wrist, the hand holding the knife. Almost without the slightest hesitation, amid a sudden stench of urine, she snatched the knife and stabbed it deep into Lin Bingsheng’s throat.

There was no scream, no struggle, no wail. Nothing.

The living room instantly fell so silent that one could hear a pin drop. Only the strange, sticky sound of the blade cutting into flesh could be heard, along with Qiu Zhen collapsing onto the floor, gasping in a way that sounded like both crying and laughing.

“…Is he dead?”

“Mm. He’s dead.”

“Jiangye, Jiangye… he, just like this… he’s dead?”

Lin Jiangye withdrew his hand and let Lin Bingsheng’s head fall to the floor. He used the remaining tissues to slowly wipe his knuckles and patiently answered, “Yes. For the sake of your child, you killed your husband.”

Qiu Zhen stared blankly at Lin Bingsheng, who no longer had any sign of life. After a long while, she actually laughed softly in relief. “It’s okay. It’s okay… This is what Mom should do…”

Lin Jiangye raised his eyes to look at her, then laughed softly as well. “But Qiu Zhen, I’m not your child.”

“…Mm? Jiangye, what are you saying? Mom must have heard wrong, haha…”

After wiping his hands clean, Lin Jiangye gently held her tear-stained face. His voice slowed down, clear and distinct.

“Look at me, Qiu Zhen. Look carefully. You are a selfless mother. You love your child very much, so… you can always recognize your own child, right?”

“…Right. Right, Jiangye, what are you saying… I…”

Qiu Zhen began crying again. She could not even understand her own feelings. She could not control her wildly contracting pupils, nor could she control the overwhelming grief surging like a sea wave, quietly and heavily exploding inside an indescribable terror.

Yet Lin Jiangye’s hands were so firm. They should have been a gentle and soft hold, but they were like reinforced concrete clamping around her stiff, cold neck, firmly fixing her face in place.

She could not avoid him. She could not escape. Even her eyes, sore from crying, had no choice but to look ahead. When the sensation of weightlessness struck, it covered everything, and she was forced to fall into that abyss-like full moon.

“Am I really him? Qiu Zhen, look at me more carefully. Am I the Lin Jiangye you wanted?”

Lin Jiangye smiled and repeated softly.

But Qiu Zhen could see so clearly. She could no longer see anything at all. The bone-chilling, bright moonlight slowly poured into her eyes, ears, mouth, and nose, writhing and surging as it seeped into her pores, drowning her from head to toe.

“Impossible. No… you, you’re a monster…”

“That’s right. I’m not your son.” Lin Jiangye was utterly calm. He tilted his head and wiped her tears as he murmured, “He died. He was killed by your whole family.”

“Wu… no, no…”

“Why wait until now to cry for him? You are his mother. You should know better than I do…”

“Hhh… hhh…” Qiu Zhen realized she could not speak. Even her breath had become hoarse and faint. Amid the intense suffocation, she instinctively tried to breathe, but could only open her mouth futilely.

She wanted to struggle desperately. She wanted to cover Lin Jiangye’s mouth, which was still unhurriedly saying something, and make him stop. He could not keep speaking. He must not keep speaking.

She suspected she was about to die, and that everything was nothing more than a nightmare and flashback before death, death itself tormenting her. If that were true, that would be good. If she could die immediately, drowned directly by this sticky, blinding, eerie moonlight, that would not be bad either.

Her fear of death could not compare to… could not compare to the truth she had tried to escape, the truth that could not exist.

But Lin Jiangye still said it.

He leaned close to her ear and said softly, “Lin Jiangye is dead. He died long ago.”