Chapter 157: Your Mother’s Death May Not Have Been an Accident

“How do you know?”

Lin Qingyou and Yin Hanyu spoke in unison, asking the same question at the same time.

Lin Qingyou said, “He went to see my aunt today. That’s how I found out that he was also at that resort.”

“He said he was looking for Wang Yalan, and I chose to believe him.”

“However, I checked the time when my aunt had her accident. Wang Yalan and Lin Qingqing were at a beauty salon getting treatments—many people saw them there. They have solid alibis.”

“But…” Lin Qingyou hesitated for a moment. “But my father… he has no alibi.”

“Of course, we can assume he was sleeping in his room or something. After all, no one saw him at the scene.”

Lin Qingyou let out a long sigh. “There are just too many coincidences…”

Thinking back, when her aunt called her, she sounded annoyed and mentioned seeing someone she disliked. Then, right after her bath, she rushed to the room across from hers… It all matched the way her aunt usually reacted to her father.

Her father was someone her aunt despised. And coincidentally, he was at the scene of her aunt’s accident.

Could it really just be a coincidence?

If there are too many coincidences, then they are no longer coincidences…

“And today, he went to see my aunt,” Lin Qingyou said, looking at Yin Hanyu, her tone growing heavier. “He asked how she was recovering and whether the police had found anything.”

On the surface, they seemed like normal questions.

But they all pointed to one thing—her father was afraid. Afraid her aunt would recover. Afraid the police would uncover something.

Especially when she deliberately said that her aunt wouldn’t survive—her father’s expression didn’t show worry. Instead, he looked relieved.

“What about you? You were out all day. What did you find?”

Yin Hanyu took Lin Qingyou’s hand and guided her to sit down before pouring her a glass of warm water.

He said, “Actually, I’ve suspected your father for a long time.”

“For a long time?” Lin Qingyou frowned. “Since when?”

“Do you remember the day we went to your home to get the household registration book?”

“Of course, I remember…” Lin Qingyou nodded.

“That day, your father seemed preoccupied, as if something serious was on his mind. He had no interest in having dinner with us and was very dismissive.”

“Yes,” Lin Qingyou agreed. “But wasn’t that because the land he bought had issues? His underground hotel project failed, and all his investment went to waste?”

Yin Hanyu nodded. “Yes… but because of that incident, we discovered the abandoned underground base in Yanshan.”

“And because of that base, we found out about the Pei family and Pei Mingzhu.”

“You mean…” Lin Qingyou suddenly realized. “My father deliberately led us to discover the Pei family’s base?”

Yin Hanyu nodded.

“But why would he do that?” Lin Qingyou asked in confusion. “Aren’t they on the same side?”

“They are…” Yin Hanyu said.

Lin Qingyou stood up abruptly.

“What’s wrong?”

Lin Qingyou set down her glass. “Do you remember that Pei Mingzhu’s birthday banquet was held at my family’s hotel?”

“Of course… She used the charity event for underprivileged children as a cover to transport illegal drugs.”

Yin Hanyu paused. “Actually, Mingyu was investigating in the wrong direction. Or rather, your father intentionally misled him.”

Mingyu believed the drugs were being transported from the hotel to Angel Kindergarten.

But in reality, the drugs were being transported from the kindergarten to the hotel.

Then, as the hotel owner, Lin Qingyou’s father accepted the illegal drugs for distribution and sale.

“Exactly,” Lin Qingyou agreed. “That day, when Lin Qingqing tried to frame me, and Leng Yifeng tried to frame you, they both ended up facing the consequences. Everyone was caught up in the drama…”

But neither Pei Mingzhu nor her father reacted strongly.

The one who reacted the most was Wang Yalan—because she genuinely cared about Lin Qingqing.

“But when I said I was going to call the police…” Lin Qingyou looked at Yin Hanyu. “Think back to their expressions. Their reaction was intense. Pei Mingzhu even lost her composure and tried to stop me.”

In her past life, the same thing happened to her.

Her father had even slapped her hard because of it.

At the time, she thought it was because she embarrassed him.

But looking back, her father hit her because she threatened to involve the police.

He was afraid the police would discover the illegal drugs at the hotel.

He actually knew she was innocent.

He just didn’t care.

All he cared about was whether his hidden drug operation would be exposed.

Lin Qingyou’s heart turned ice-cold. Her hands clenched into fists.

“But…” Lin Qingyou looked at Yin Hanyu, still confused. “I don’t understand why my father led us to discover Pei Mingzhu’s human experimentation base. If they’re on the same side, shouldn’t they be protecting each other?”

“It’s actually quite simple…” Yin Hanyu said. “A person who’s been oppressed for too long will eventually go mad. A person who’s been controlled for too long will crave freedom.”

“In our culture, we believe in taking charge of our own destiny.”

As the saying goes, a soldier who doesn’t dream of becoming a general is not a good soldier.

“Are you saying my father wants to be the boss?”

Lin Qingyou shook her head. “I don’t think so. He doesn’t have such big ambitions…”

“His ambition isn’t to be the leader. His ambition is freedom. He wants to be in control of his own fate.”

Lin Qingyou fell silent.

“But how did my father even meet them?” Lin Qingyou was still full of unanswered questions. “They come from completely different worlds.”

“If you think about it…” Yin Hanyu said, “You and the owners of your favorite noodle shop aren’t from the same world either. But you get along with them, and they often send you special hometown delicacies.”

Lin Qingyou rolled her eyes. “You think I don’t know it’s because you gave them huge business benefits?”

Yin Hanyu: “…”

Yin Hanyu handed Lin Qingyou the documents he had retrieved from Lan Si.

“What’s this?”

Lin Qingyou noticed an old, blurry photo of a man.

“This is a photo of Pei Jue when he was young—taken at a small restaurant.”

“A small restaurant?” Lin Qingyou looked closer. “This is my father’s first restaurant—Lin Family Cuisine!”

“Yes,” Yin Hanyu nodded. “Pei Jue had poor health since childhood. The Pei family was extremely strict about his diet and lifestyle—almost to an obsessive level.”

“But he hated that way of life. So, he would sneak out to eat.”

“And the place he frequented the most was your father’s restaurant.”

“So that’s how they met…” Lin Qingyou laughed bitterly. “Just like how my mother met him.”

Yin Hanyu hesitated before speaking. “Actually… your mother’s death may not have been an accident…”