Chapter 176: Killing Intent, Unconcealed Killing Intent

Xiao Yan immediately realized that something was wrong and quickly said to Lin Qingyou, “Youyou, take your father to rest first. I’ll settle Xuejie and come find you later…”

Lin Qingyou nodded and led Lin Zhiwei to the guest room.

Along the way, Lin Zhiwei wore a gloomy expression but remained silent.

When they entered the room, Lin Zhiwei looked at Yin Hanyu and said, “I have something to talk about with Youyou.”

This was an obvious hint for Yin Hanyu to leave.

However, Yin Hanyu, being particularly stubborn this time, refused to go. “Youyou is pregnant. I don’t feel comfortable leaving her alone.”

“What? Do you think I’d eat her alive just because she’s with me?” Lin Zhiwei said sharply.

Lin Qingyou tugged at Yin Hanyu’s hand, signaling him to leave.

But Yin Hanyu hesitated. Lin Zhiwei’s current demeanor felt dangerous, and he truly didn’t feel at ease letting Lin Qingyou be alone with him.

“You should go check on my aunt first,” Lin Qingyou said. “I’ll come find you soon.”

At the mention of Xiao Xue, Yin Hanyu did have something to discuss with Xiao Yutian…

Once Yin Hanyu left, Lin Zhiwei continued walking with Lin Qingyou.

Originally, Lin Qingyou intended to arrange a room next to hers for her father, but after some thought, she decided to take him to the room where her mother used to stay.

Arriving at Xiao Ya’s bedroom door, Lin Qingyou gently pushed it open and said, “Dad, you can stay in this room. This was Mom’s former bedroom. Though it hasn’t been used for a long time, Grandpa has had people clean it regularly…”

Before she could finish speaking—

A loud, heavy slap suddenly struck.

“Smack!”

The crisp sound echoed through the air, shaking the entire room.

Lin Qingyou had no time to react before Lin Zhiwei’s powerful slap landed forcefully on her face.

The strike was as fierce as a storm, as if Lin Zhiwei had poured all his long-suppressed anger and resentment into it. He didn’t hold back at all.

Lin Qingyou felt her vision blur, her head buzzing. She lost her balance and nearly fell.

Barely managing to steady herself, she felt a burning pain on her cheek. Almost instantly, her skin turned red and swollen, and even a trace of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth. The force of that slap was evident.

“Dad…”

Covering her injured face, Lin Qingyou stared at Lin Zhiwei in disbelief, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.

“Don’t call me Dad! I am not your father! I don’t have a daughter like you!”

Lin Zhiwei’s eyes were bloodshot with rage, his gaze like that of an enraged beast.

“You feel wronged, huh? Do you think you have it worse than me?” Lin Zhiwei roared in fury. “I told you long ago—not to have anything to do with the Xiao family! And especially not with Xiao Yutian!”

“But what did you do?”

“Lin Qingyou, did you completely ignore my words? Or did you never take them seriously in the first place?”

The more he spoke, the angrier he became. He pointed at the grand and imposing Xiao family estate with disdain. “You seem pretty familiar with this place! Have you been blinded by their wealth and power?”

“I haven’t…”

“Haven’t? Then why are you here? Why haven’t you left? Have I ever denied you anything since you were a child?”

Lin Zhiwei’s furious questioning echoed through the air.

Faced with her father’s unreasonable accusations and shouting, Lin Qingyou bit her lip, forcing back her tears.

She wanted to explain, but it felt as if something was stuck in her throat, preventing her from making a sound.

At that moment, her heart felt as though it had plunged into an icy abyss…

“If that’s how you see it, then I have nothing more to say…”

“You—” Lin Zhiwei raised his hand again, about to strike her a second time.

This time, Lin Qingyou caught his wrist. “What, you want to hit me again?”

“What are you doing?!”

A furious voice interrupted them.

Yin Yixuan and Ming Yu rushed over.

Their calm expressions changed instantly when they saw the clear slap mark on Lin Qingyou’s face.

Especially Ming Yu—her usually composed face was now filled with anger.

Without hesitation, she stepped in front of Lin Qingyou protectively, like a mother lion guarding her cub.

After confirming Lin Qingyou wasn’t seriously hurt, Ming Yu turned sharply to Lin Zhiwei, her gaze piercing. “Mr. Lin, Qingyou is pregnant! How could you be so heartless and lay hands on her?”

Lin Zhiwei showed no remorse. Instead, he retorted loudly, “So what? Even if she’s pregnant, she’s still my daughter! I have every right to discipline her! Who do you think you are to interfere?”

Ming Yu’s lips curled into a cold, mocking smile. “If I remember correctly, you just said she’s not your daughter. That you don’t have a daughter like her. But now you’re playing the role of a father to discipline her? Don’t you find that laughable?”

Ming Yu’s words were like a dagger, stabbing straight into Lin Zhiwei’s heart.

His face turned dark, veins bulging on his forehead. His eyes burned with fury, as if he wanted to tear Ming Yu apart.

Sensing his murderous gaze, Ming Yu instinctively took a small step back.

It was him…

In that moment, Ming Yu thought she saw that person…

But how could that be possible?

Forcing herself to stay calm, Ming Yu took a deep breath and studied Lin Zhiwei closely.

But now, Lin Zhiwei seemed to have returned to his usual composed self.

Was it really him?

Just as she was about to ask further, Lin Zhiwei roared impatiently, “Get out! All of you, get out!”

Before anyone could react, he swung the door shut with a loud bang, locking everyone outside.

Yin Yixuan scoffed, “I’m starting to understand your grandfather now…”

Lin Qingyou said nothing and simply returned to her room.

---

Meanwhile, Yin Hanyu had been discussing something with Xiao Yutian for a long time.

Ming Yu waited just as long for him to return.

As soon as he stepped out, Ming Yu confronted him. “I suspect Qingyou’s father is the Second-in-Command.”

She expected Yin Hanyu to be shocked, but instead, he seemed unsurprised—almost as if he had already known.

“You knew?”

“Why else do you think we came here?”

“Qingyou knows too?” Ming Yu was even more surprised. “Then why did you all keep it from me?”

Yin Hanyu sighed. “At the end of the day, he’s still Qingyou’s father. We couldn’t just declare it to the world without solid proof.”

Then he looked at Ming Yu. “What made you suddenly think this?”

“He just tried to kill me…” Ming Yu closed her eyes, recalling the moment. “His gaze just now—it was exactly the same as when he killed the First-in-Command at the border base.”

That was why she had never been fully convinced that it was all an act.

Because she had seen that look in his eyes when he had stabbed the First-in-Command.

Killing intent.

Unconcealed, murderous intent…

Lin Zhiwei must have wanted to kill Pei Jue long ago.

And with everything that had happened at Pei Mingzhu’s birthday banquet and the recent events…

Lin Zhiwei was definitely not as simple as he seemed.