Lin Xiaowan was not shocked. She calmly changed her clothes and went out.

…

Perhaps it was late at night so Huo Zheng’s men let down their guard; they did not notice that she had gone out. No one stopped her as she hailed a cab. She bought a train ticket online and easily collected it when she arrived at the train station. No one stopped her at all. For a moment, she could not help but wonder what Huo Zheng meant by ‘protection’.

The train was slated to arrive at 2.15 AM. There was still more than half an hour left so Lin Xiaowan continued to watch the unfinished movie on her phone. However, her eyes might be trained on the screen, but her thoughts had already drifted away to the past.

A long time ago, she looked forward to the lunar new year. To be precise, she looked forward to the first seven days of the lunar new year. This was because her stepmother would bring her daughter back to her parent’s house during those days, and Lin Xiaowan would have time alone with her father. However, later on, she realized that her father did not care about her at all. Thanks to her disappointment, she gradually lost all expectations.

Thinking about it, she had not seen her father for many years.

…

It took five hours for the train to reach Beicheng. Lin Xiaowan had bought the ticket for the fastest train available.

After getting off the train, she received a call from Huo Zheng.

Although Huo Zheng tried his best to suppress his anger, he still sounded fierce when he asked, “Lin Xiaowan, where did you go?!”

Lin Xiaowan was taken aback. Huo Zheng had never addressed her by her full name before.

She thought about her previous life. During this time in her previous life, Huo Zheng was away on a business trip for two or three days. When he returned, she had also already returned from her hometown. Although he knew about it, he did not ask any questions since he saw that she did not want to talk about it.

Lin Xiaowan followed the crowd to the exit and queued for a cab.

On the other end of the line, Huo Zheng took a deep breath. In the morning, when the servants went to deliver food, they had said that no one opened the door. After waiting for a long time, they used the spare key to enter the house and discovered that the house was empty. What was laughable was that the two people he sent to watch over Lin Xiaowan did not even know she was gone.

This was the first time Huo Zheng could not control his anger when faced with Lin Xiaowan. He had always been cold and harsh to outsiders. Everyone knew that about the Second Young Master of the Huo family. However, when he faced Lin Xiaowan, he would inadvertently soften.

At this moment, Huo Zheng, who had never raised his voice at Lin Xiaowan before, could not control himself when he found out that she had gone to Beicheng without a word. He was anxious and angry.

“I told you not to leave. Why didn’t you listen? It’s not that I don’t allow you to go back. All I asked for is for you to wait. Why can’t you wait?”

Lin Xiaowan’s mind went blank when Huo Zheng raised his voice. She suddenly felt a little fed up. Before she could think more about it, she had already ended the call.

The phone was silent for two seconds before Huo Zheng called again.

Lin Xiaowan decisively switched off her phone.

…

Huo Zheng was so furious that he threw his phone on the ground. His expression was extremely terrifying at this moment.

The Huo family’s bodyguards in charge of protecting Lin Xiaowan lowered their heads and did not dare to breathe loudly. Although the heater was turned on in the room, they felt chills running up their spines. They did not dare to explain themselves. After all, there was no doubt that it was indeed a dereliction of duty on their part. They had watched Lin Xiaowan for a long time now and knew that she did not go out other than to take the trash out. They did not expect her to suddenly leave in the middle of the night.

Huo Cheng, who was dressed in a formal traditional metal-gray Shangxia suit, patted Huo Zheng’s back and said, “Don’t be too worried. You’ll be able to close the net very soon. Have more confidence in yourself. It’ll be fine soon. It’s not a bad idea for her to leave Sheng City so you don’t have to worry about her being pulled into the chaos here.”

Huo Zheng rubbed his temples and remained silent.

At this time, Huo Cheng’s secretary knocked on the door and entered the room. He did not say too much and only told Huo Cheng that it was time to leave. The election was about to begin.

Huo Cheng rose to his feet and said, “Hold on a little longer. When the cabinet meeting ends today, the Dong family will soon disappear.”

The Dong family had always been the Huo family’s enemy. The mastermind behind Song Zhiyi was none other than the current head of the Dong family. The two Huo brothers had carefully set up the chess pieces. For three months and seventeen days, they had been careful as though they were walking on thin ice. Finally, they were ready to close the net.

After Huo Cheng left, Huo Zheng sat in silence for a long time. Then, he called his assistant in and told his assistant to buy him a new phone.

Huo Zheng glanced at the two bodyguards in the room, who did not dare to speak or move, and said, “Scram! Look for her in Beicheng.”

The bodyguards scurried away after receiving the order. When they finally left Huo Zheng’s sight, they lamented out loud. Although Beicheng was a small city, looking for someone without an address or clue would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Alas, they were the ones who made a mistake. No matter how sad they were, they could only bite the bullet.

…

Lin Xiaowan took a cab back to her house in Beicheng. It was her grandmother’s house. Ever since she left for university in Sheng City and changed her household register, there was no room for her there. Her grandmother had converted her room into a storage room.

Lin Xiaowan learned that her father had a cerebral hemorrhage.

In the morning, he had bent down to put on his shoes, but when he got up, he suddenly stumbled and fell to the ground. His daughter was home at the time. She was so frightened that she kneeled next to him for a long time, calling out to him before she finally remembered to call the emergency number.

Lin Xiaowan’s grandmother’s house was located in a very old neighborhood. Most people living in the neighborhood were the elderly. They did not have many hobbies and usually gathered in groups of two or three to chat.

Lin Xiaowan hated this place.

It was still early in the morning when Lin Xiaowan arrived. There were already many old ladies gathered near the house. When they saw her, they fell silent and stared at her with their turbid eyes as though they were staring at something unusual.

Lin Xiaowan walked past them expressionlessly. She was already annoyed and frustrated as soon as she arrived.

It did not take long before the old ladies began to chat among themselves again.

When Lin Xiaowan heard her name, a rare hint of hostility flashed in her eyes.

The atmosphere in the house was somber. There were not many people, only her aunt and her family, her grandmother, her stepmother, and her half-sister. No one spoke to her, and she did not want to speak to them either. She stood at the side casually and allowed her thoughts to wander.

There was no change in her grandmother’s house at all. The scribbles she had drawn on the wall when she was young were still there. The romance novels she had bought in middle school were still kept under the glass coffee table. The cabinet behind the television still housed the model of a courtyard she built, but it was already covered in dust. Many things that she did not take away were still here.

Lin Xiaowan’s grandmother looked miserable as she cried, “My son! How could he leave just like that? How am I supposed to leave? Just let me die! My life is so bitter! My son!”

Lin Xiaowan’s aunt held Grandma Lin’s hand, crying as she comforted her heartbroken mother.

Meanwhile, Lin Xiaowan’s gaze fell on the girl sitting on the couch in the living room. The other party was her half-sister. Her half-sister was 12 years old; 11 years younger than her. Her skin was fair, and her eyes were like black gems. Her thick hair was pulled up into a ponytail. Although she was very young, one could see that she would grow up into a beautiful woman in the future.

Lin Xiaowan looked away. She did not expect that when she finally saw her father again, he would be lying in a coffin.