That night, he stood once again before the floor-to-ceiling window of his apartment. The city lights below still shone brightly, outlining a vibrant cityscape. Once, it was the stage for his dreams; now, it seemed like cold starlight mocking his predicament.
The debt of 87 million was like an invisible mountain, suffocating him. An unprecedented thought, like a venomous snake writhing in the darkness, crept into his heart—if he jumped, would he be completely free? No more facing this endless debt, no more enduring the lash of public opinion, no more living in fear and despair…
This thought, with its eerie allure, made him take a small step forward, his forehead pressed against the cold glass.
Just then, his old cell phone, hidden close to his body, vibrated very faintly. It was a warning that the battery was about to run out. This tiny vibration, however, was like a weak current, instantly piercing through his hazy consciousness.
He stumbled back a step, cold sweat pouring down his back.
He thought of Su Yuqing, Chen Kai, his ailing mother and his silently toiling father… If he died, would this enormous debt fall on his family? Someone like Lu Tianyu was absolutely capable of doing it!
He couldn't die! At least, he couldn't die like this, meaninglessly!
The quagmire of debt seemed bottomless, but he couldn't sink into it. He had to live, even if it meant struggling like an ant. Only by living could he find a way out, only then could he… seek revenge.
He picked up the default notice from the ground, which resembled a court judgment. His eyes, initially filled with despair and lifelessness, slowly hardened into a near-obsessive, icy hatred.
The harsh winter hadn't ended, and now the quagmire of debt had descended.
The road ahead was shrouded in darkness, but he could only, and had to, crawl forward in the darkness.
The astronomical debt was like a bucket of ice water poured over Lin Chen, forcing a distorted clarity into him amidst extreme fear and despair. The thought of suicide flashed through his mind, quickly replaced by a heavier sense of responsibility and a rising hatred. He couldn't fall, at least not before he could bring down Xingyao.
However, the noose of fate continued to tighten, this time tightening around his most vulnerable point—his family.
The very next morning after he received the default notice, his old phone, its battery nearly dead, vibrated violently in his hand. The screen flashed his father's name, Lin Jianguo.
A strong sense of foreboding instantly gripped Lin Chen. His father rarely called him at this time.
He pressed the answer button with trembling hands, but instead of his father's familiar, weary voice, a strange, gruff male voice came from the other end:
"Is this Lin Chen?"
"Yes, it is. Who is this? How come my dad's phone is with you?" Lin Chen's heart leaped into his throat.
"Your dad? Hmph, your dad's doing just fine, 'visiting' us." The man's voice was laced with undisguised malice and mockery. "You've gotten yourself into a huge mess outside, owing Xingyao Company so much money, thinking you can get away with it by hiding? Let me tell you, a son pays for his father's debts, and a father pays for his son's debts—it's only right!"
Lin Chen's blood seemed to freeze instantly: "What have you done to my dad?! Who are you?!"
"Who we are isn't important," the man sneered. "What's important is that your dad's 'safe' right now. But how long that safety lasts depends on your performance."
A burst of static came from the other end of the phone, followed by the broken voice of his father, Lin Jianguo, suppressing pain and fear: "Achen... don't worry about me... they wouldn't dare... ah!"
A short, sharp cry of pain, accompanied by the man's shout, made Lin Chen's heart almost stop beating.
"Did you hear that?" The man's voice filled the receiver again. "Lin, you have twenty-four hours. First, publicly admit that all the negative things about you online are true, that it's your own misconduct, and has nothing to do with the company. Second, sign the debt confirmation and repayment agreement that Xingyao's legal department gave you. If you do that, your father can come home safe and sound. If you don't..."
The man didn't finish, but a clear, muffled thud, like a stick hitting something hard, came from the other end of the line, followed by a suppressed groan from the father.