Chapter 884: Chapter 884

"Your father is sometimes too naive. He thought that after the Family Patriarch invited him back to the Ling Family, his attitude would change and he wouldn’t be forced to do things he didn’t want to do. However, things turned out contrary to his wishes. Not only did the Family Head continue to exploit your father’s talents, but he also intensified his actions and set his sights on your mother. I mentioned before that your mother was once the helm of a business empire, distinguished by her family background, and, at a young age, had become the leader of the family business. Like your father, she was immensely talented. If the Ling Family’s commercial ventures were to expand, they must resolve or absorb your mother’s family industry. After careful consideration, the Family Head opted for the latter."

"Initially, the Family Head discussed with your father, hoping to collaborate with your mother so that the two family businesses could work together for mutual benefit. However, the Ling Family Patriarch made an unreasonable demand. He wanted your mother to relinquish her family business management rights for the Ling Family to control it. From then on, your mother’s family would no longer be involved in the operation and management of the business, only receiving annual dividends. Such an approach, in any family, would be unacceptable; it equates to handing over one’s industry to another."

"Due to this matter, your parents deeply realized the Family Head’s wicked ambitions. Hence, they discussed leaving the Ling Family and returning to your mother’s family. After all, your mother’s family was also influential, and with your father’s protection, the Ling Family wouldn’t dare act rashly. However, their plan was inadvertently discovered by the Family Head. Your mother was like a piece of delicious meat, and the Family Head would not easily let her escape. So, using an excuse to send your father away temporarily, the Family Head waited until only you and your mother were at home before sending people to find your mother, applying both pressure and coercion, attempting to force her to accept the Ling Family’s proposal and abandon the management rights of her family’s industry."

"However, the Family Head underestimated your mother’s firmness. No matter what conditions the Ling Family offered, how they threatened her, your mother was unmoved, insisting on waiting for your father’s return. But your father was delayed by matters and couldn’t come back for a while. After several attempts to persuade and seeing no compromise from your mother, the Family Head finally lost patience and directly made her disappear." ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel★fire.net

"Disappear?" Ling Chen suddenly stood up, looking sternly at Lin Guodong, and said in a deep voice, "Are you trying to tell me that the Ling Family Patriarch killed my mother back then?"

Lin Guodong gestured for Ling Chen to calm down. After Ling Chen sat back down, Lin Guodong continued, "I didn’t say your mother was killed, only that she ’disappeared.’ There are many ways to make someone disappear, and it doesn’t necessarily mean killing them. In short, from that day forward, your mother never appeared in the Ling Family, and besides the Family Patriarch, no one knows her whereabouts."

"So what happened in the end?" Ling Chen asked eagerly, "Didn’t my father go back to the Ling Family and look for my mother? Would he give up?"

"Of course, he wouldn’t. Your father was a person of deep affection and righteousness, and the person involved was your mother. Upon returning home and not seeing your mother, he immediately flew into a rage and confronted the Family Head. However, the Family Head had anticipated your father’s dissatisfaction and had already devised a plan. He falsely claimed that your mother was harassed by several young men of the Ling Family and, in anger, left the Ling Family, not returning for days without known whereabouts. Your father, at that time, did not doubt and believed the Family Head’s words. Your mother was young and beautiful, a rare beauty of her time; there was indeed no descendant in the Ling Family who could match her beauty. So, ever since your mother moved into the Ling Family, there were people who ogled at her beauty. Therefore, when the Family Head said so, your father believed it."

"Your father, in anger, found those cousins who usually spoke improperly to your mother and questioned them about her whereabouts. But they didn’t do the thing, and naturally, they refused to admit it, leading to conflict between the two sides. Later, in anger, your father lashed out and directly slaughtered those cousins. This incident shocked everyone in the Ling Family, and the Family Head never expected your father to act so impulsively. Having committed such a mistake, the Ling Family wouldn’t tolerate you father and son any longer. Although the Family Head wanted to keep your father and let him continue to serve, due to the pressure from others in the Ling Family, he had to expel you father and son from the Ling Family."

"As far as I know, after you two left the Ling Family, your father did not give up looking for your mother. However, after several years passed, there was no news of your mother. Not only that, even your mother’s family regarded your father coldly. In their view, it was entirely because of your father that their daughter suffered grievances and became missing. Because of this, they directly kicked you and your father out of the family and severed ties with you. To be honest, your father is quite a pitiable person; he did so much and ended up this way, dragging you down with him."

"Then what about my mother? Where is she?" Ling Chen pursued the question.

"I just told you I don’t know. Besides the Ling Family Patriarch, no one knows her whereabouts. However, if you wish to find your mother, I advise you to give up, as it’s been so many years, and she’s surely not in the Ling Family anymore. Although I don’t want to admit it in front of you, reality is often harsh; your mother should be..." At this point, Lin Guodong stopped, choosing not to continue. His meaning was clear, given Ling Chen’s identity, he didn’t want to be explicit, as it would be hurtful.

Ling Chen looked down, his gaze complex on the floor, silent for a long time.

After a moment, Ling Chen raised his head and looked directly at Lin Guodong, saying, "So, my mother was killed by the Ling Family?"

"Perhaps, but I can’t be certain of that. In any case, I’m only telling you what happened back then; how you interpret it is your choice."

Upon hearing this, Ling Chen asked, "Why do you know so much about this matter?"

"Because I was involved back then. As I mentioned earlier, your parents initially lived in seclusion in a small town, and later it was the Ling Family who sent people to invite him back, and I was the one they sent. That’s why I’m more aware of your parents’ matters." Pausing briefly, Lin Guodong continued, "In a way, within the whole Ling Family, my relationship with your father could be considered close; otherwise, the Family Head wouldn’t have appointed me to invite your father."

"Understood. But don’t expect this relationship to make me let you go; business is business."

"I know, and I won’t ask you to let me go."