Chapter 39: Are You Trying to Destroy This Family?

At 10:00 PM, Lin Ting returned to Qin Lu’s residence.

"Xingxing is on the balcony; she’s been waiting for you," Qin Lu said. "Did something happen?"

Usually, if Yin Xing were frightened, Lin Ting would arrive quickly, but this time it had taken much longer.

"It was something at the hotel," Lin Ting said, changing her shoes as she walked inside. "It’s mostly settled now."

Qin Lu nodded.

Lin Ting walked to the balcony. Yin Xing was sitting on the sofa with her knees pulled to her chest. Hearing footsteps, she turned her head. Her eyes lit up when she saw Lin Ting, but then dimmed again as she complained, "Why did you take so long?"

"There was an incident at the hotel," Lin Ting said, sitting down beside her and patting her head. "Were you scared?"

Yin Xing looked at her.

Lin Ting continued, "Stay at Qin Lu’s place for a while longer. The villa has finished airing out, but it’s better to stay here for now."

"Are you going to stay here too?" Yin Xing asked.

"I’ll come by when I have time," Lin Ting replied.

Yin Xing frowned. "Do you have to be so busy?"

Lin Ting thought for a moment and said, "I’ll try to finish my work quickly. When you’re on break, I’ll take you out."

"Really?" Yin Xing asked.

Lin Ting stroked her hair. "Of course, it’s real."

Yin Xing didn't say anything, leaning her head against Lin Ting’s shoulder.

Qin Lu went back to his study without disturbing them.

After a while, Yin Xing said, "I went out shopping, and when I came back, I saw them taking away a body. There were so many people gathered around the apartment building."

Lin Ting listened quietly.

Yin Xing continued, "I was already scared when I heard about the incident, and then people started saying this complex—especially my building—wasn't 'clean.' It’s not the first time something like this has happened. They also said there are strange noises at night. I got even more terrified, so I called Brother Qin Lu."

"I’m in the capital too, why didn't you call me?" Lin Ting asked.

"You’re so busy," Yin Xing said. "I didn't want to disturb you."

Lin Ting chuckled. "Don't be afraid. There’s nothing to it. Even if there were, as long as you have a clear conscience, you have nothing to fear."

"That’s easy to say, but you can’t control fear," Yin Xing said. "Besides, it’s strange why it happened in my building. I heard they fell from the corridor above my floor. I started wondering if it was aimed at you."

"A fall?" Lin Ting asked. She had been so busy with the hotel that she hadn't fully grasped the situation here.

Yin Xing nodded. "More than ten stories up. It must have been a gruesome sight."

Lin Ting fell silent for a moment.

Yin Xing said, "Sister, sleep with me tonight. I’m really scared."

Lin Ting tilted her head and looked at her. "I can only stay until you fall asleep."

"Do you have something to do tonight?" After saying that, Yin Xing suddenly asked, "Are you seeing someone behind my back?"

Lin Ting poked her forehead. "What are you thinking? I have business to attend to. Besides, why would I hide it if I were dating?"

"You’re still young, you can’t date," Yin Xing said with complete seriousness.

"You really have things backward," Lin Ting said, flicking her forehead. "Who could possibly be younger than you?"

She added a warning, "If you dare to date before you’re an adult, I’ll break that boy’s legs."

"I’m not dating anyone. The boys my age are so immature and cringe," Yin Xing grumbled.

Lin Ting nodded, then suddenly realized something and said sternly, "And if you dare to find some old man, I’ll break his legs too."

Yin Xing smiled, sat up straight, and looked at her. "What if I find Brother Qin Lu?"

Lin Ting was stunned for a second, then gave her a light tap on the head. "You’ve really gone too far! You want to be my sister-in-law!"

Yin Xing rubbed her head, her expression one of exaggerated grievance at Lin Ting’s assault.

"What sister-in-law?" Qin Lu walked out to get some water and glanced at them.

Lin Ting stood up. "She said she wants to marry you when she grows up."

Qin Lu had just taken a sip of water and spat it all out. He looked at Yin Xing in shock. "Are you crazy?! Do you want to destroy this family?!"

Yin Xing was annoyed; she glared at both of them and went to her room.

Watching her leave, Qin Lu chuckled. "Bullying kids is fun, huh?"

Hearing his words, the smile on Lin Ting’s face faded by half. "So, you bullying me when we were kids was just because you thought it was fun?"

"Yeah," Qin Lu admitted quite frankly. "What else?"

Lin Ting grabbed a throw pillow from the sofa and hit him twice.

Qin Lu spilled water all over the floor. "If you hit me again, I’m hitting back."

Lin Ting threw the pillow and ran into Yin Xing’s room.

Qin Lu looked at himself and the water on the floor. "You brat."

...

It was past 11:00 PM when Lin Ting emerged from Yin Xing’s room and closed the door.

When she reached the living room, Qin Lu was coming out of his study.

"Where are you going?" Qin Lu asked, surprised.

Lin Ting looked at the paint on his clothes. "Still painting this late?"

"I slept during the day, so I can't sleep at night," Qin Lu asked. "Do you need me to go with you?"

"No," Lin Ting said. "I’m leaving."

"Be careful," Qin Lu said.

Lin Ting nodded and left.

She drove back to the villa that had only finished renovations a few months ago.

After pulling into the villa, she changed into black clothes inside the car, tied up her hair, and put on black gloves.

She then took an object wrapped in a black plastic bag from the passenger seat and walked toward the back of the villa.

The villa covered a large area, and it took a while to cross.

She climbed over the back wall and walked a short distance further until she reached the Yuesheng Mansion.

Yue Mingzhou, the youngest son of the Yue family, was celebrating his birthday there tonight.

He had invited many people to his home.

Lin Ting avoided all the security cameras. It was nearly 1:00 AM by the time she reached the exterior of Yuesheng Mansion.

The surveillance cameras inside the mansion had already been turned off.

It was a scene of alcoholic revelry.

Lin Ting climbed into the mansion...

A party was still going on in the pool out back, and a few drunks had come inside.

Lin Ting entered several rooms on the third floor.

They were all bedrooms.

Downstairs, a game of hide-and-seek had broken out.

People were running and searching on various floors and in different rooms.

Eventually, people started running toward the upper floors.

Lin Ting picked up her pace and entered another room—another bedroom.

But this one was different from the others; it showed clear signs of being lived in.

There was a walk-in closet filled with clothes.

Lin Ting pulled open a wardrobe and placed the object she was carrying deep inside.

Closing the closet, she quietly slipped out of the room.

The game of chase had reached this floor.

Lin Ting had only walked a short distance when she heard someone coming upstairs, so she pushed open a nearby room and ducked inside.

However, just as she entered, before she could even close the door, a hand swung toward her neck from behind the door.

The force was immense, and the speed was lightning-fast.

Lin Ting blocked it immediately and countered.

The opponent parried and struck back.

The room was dark, and the hallway lights were dim, occasionally flashing red and purple.

But it was enough to see by.

The door was open, and the light fell upon them.

Lin Ting pinned the arm of her opponent and pushed it back.

At the same time, through the faint light, the two saw each other’s faces clearly.

Lin Ting was stunned.

Shang Moting frowned.

The hallway lights shifted.

The two stared at each other as the light on their faces cycled from yellow to purple...