After finishing her rant, Old Madam Chu's expression suddenly changed. In her agitation, she had blurted out everything, forgetting that Lin Xiaotian was right beside her.
Fear flickered in her eyes.
Lin Xiaotian continued to smile, but the smile sent shivers down her spine.
The meaning in his gaze was clear: she was to continue speaking.
Old Madam Chu took a deep breath. The cold water had already been poured over her, extinguishing her anger.
A suspicious voice echoed from the phone. "Mom, were you trying to convey something to me? Just say it directly. I don't know anything about what you're talking about."
"Besides, that was ages ago for the Lin family. I had only recently married your son back then. I had no standing in your family, so how could I have come up with such a terrible idea?"
Old Madam Chu's anger flared uncontrollably once more. Gritting her teeth, she retorted, "You wretched woman, you were the one who skimped on money at the company and replaced the materials with inferior ones."
"When the Lin family discovered it, they threatened to cancel our cooperation."
"All the blame fell on you, and our family couldn't even afford the compensation."
"But if we didn't pay, our family would be doomed. So you came up with that terrible idea. I don't know who told you about the supplementary order, but three days after you spread the news, the Lin family met their demise."
"Do you dare say this has nothing to do with you?"
"Aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning if you lie?"
Her fury was uncontainable.
Zhou Lanmei was silent for a few seconds before her voice, now tinged with impatience, returned. "I don't know why you're saying this to me. Knowing your personality, you're probably trying to frame me for something. I can't be bothered to listen anymore. I didn't do it."
With that, she hung up the phone.
Old Madam Chu looked at him with pleading eyes. "Xiaotian, that bitch really did it. It has nothing to do with me."
"I advised her back then, but she was stubborn."
"The news had already been spread. I couldn't do anything to her, otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to withstand the Lin family's wrath. I truly regret not paying all the money back then, or the Lin family wouldn't have been destroyed."
"This is also why I didn't object when you returned and got together with my granddaughter."
Lin Xiaotian's lips curved into a cold arc. "I can see through the lies you tell me. The reason I'm sparing you now isn't because I forgive you. I don't have the right to forgive you. Forgiveness can only be granted by sending you down to let my Lin family ancestors forgive you."
"But this is not the time. I will keep you until the end."
"After I find all the enemies of the Lin family, I will send them to hell first, and you will be the last."
As Old Madam Chu was about to say something more, Lin Xiaotian's voice vanished from her presence.
Her pupils contracted sharply, and her face contorted with the same fear.
"Are you human or ghost?"
"Come out!"
"I don't want to die. I clearly did nothing wrong."
However, no matter how she called out, there was no response.
After leaving, Lin Xiaotian took out his phone and dialed Old Li's number.
The call was answered quickly.
Old Li's voice came through with a smile, "Young Master, what do you need me for?"
"Among the people I asked you to keep an eye on, there's one named Zhou Lanmei. I need to know her exact location."
"I'll send her location immediately."
Lin Xiaotian hung up. Now that he had a lead, he wouldn't waste another second.
When the location was sent, a slight smile touched his lips. It seemed Old Madam Chu hadn't dared to lie.
At the train station.
Zhou Lanmei repeatedly checked her phone and the clock, her gaze fixed on the ticket inspection hall.
She carried only a small suitcase, her eyes filled with anxiety.
"Only a few minutes left. Lin Xiaotian definitely won't notice anything. That old woman calling me must mean Lin Xiaotian has caught her in a bind."
"I absolutely cannot stay in this city, or I'll be truly finished."
As the lights for the ticket inspection hall turned on, Zhou Lanmei's eyes lit up with surprise. She stood up and headed towards it.
Just then, a hand landed on her shoulder.
"Where are you planning to go?"
"Do you need a ride? I drove here."
Zhou Lanmei's pupils contracted sharply. Without turning around, she recognized the familiar voice and knew who it was.
"You... How did you know I was here?"
Lin Xiaotian smiled. "I know too many things. For example, I've already found clues about what happened back then. Are you going to come with me willingly, or do you want me to take you away?"
Zhou Lanmei's eyes were filled with madness and fear. She let out a hoarse scream.
But as soon as she opened her mouth, Lin Xiaotian inserted a silver needle, silencing her.
Her voice was immediately choked off.
At this moment, Lin Xiaotian's face showed a smile. "No need to shout. You won't have the chance."
"Since you're not cooperating, I'll take you with me!"
With that, he inserted several more silver needles. Zhou Lanmei felt all control over her body disappear, as if she were a puppet.
Wherever Lin Xiaotian walked, she would unconsciously follow.
They arrived at the parking lot outside the train station. Within ten minutes of driving, they reached the outskirts, where a large lake lay.
"You can speak now. I don't need to ask you about what happened back then, do I?"
"Tell me everything you know, or you might not see tomorrow's sun."
Lin Xiaotian's voice was calm. He had the means to make Zhou Lanmei subconsciously reveal everything, but he chose not to.
For the blood feud of hundreds of his Lin family members, if it was truly because of this woman, he wouldn't let Zhou Lanmei die easily.
Zhou Lanmei was already weeping uncontrollably. On the way here, she had thought of many things, especially the events of the past. She was indeed the catalyst. If it weren't for her leaking the information, the Lin family wouldn't have been destroyed.
At this moment, she was trembling with fear.