Zhou Bingwen, despite being overjoyed internally, maintained a facade of deep distress.
After speaking, he berated all the guests present, "Today's events were an accident, and we didn't wish for them to happen. As the host, my nephew certainly didn't want this. Your aggressive questioning is nothing more than immoral behavior."
Even after Zhou Bingwen finished, many of the guests remained unconvinced.
"Then how do you intend to account for yourselves? For years, we followed the Oriental family's lead, but what have we received in return? I haven't tolerated the Oriental family for a day or two, but for a very, very long time. Our companies, the large factories, were once things passed down for hundreds of years in Yanjing. But since the Oriental family took over, one problem after another has arisen. Substandard quality is one thing, but you've also employed child labor and produced toxic food. How many children and elders have suffered over the years!"
At these words, everyone turned their disbelieving gazes towards the man speaking, thinking him incredibly brave for revealing such matters.
Zhou Jinbai frowned deeply upon hearing this.
He had never heard of these issues before.
Zhou Bingwen was entrusted with managing Yanjing's enterprises, and due to his trust in Zhou Bingwen, Zhou Jinbai never interfered.
But it wasn't just one person speaking.
Immediately, a second person stepped forward.
"Our textile factory was eliminated by society due to the poor aesthetic of its fabric. Later, the Oriental family acquired our textile factory and sold it to children. At first, I thought our textile factory had found new life, but later I discovered that the factory used inferior raw materials, then labeled them 'safe and non-toxic,' and invited all sorts of celebrities to advertise. In reality, after children wore them, they suffered from allergies at best, and respiratory failure at worst."
"And our fruit industry, under the guise of 'green, healthy, pesticide-free,' actually added all sorts of sweeteners and hormones. This stuff isn't just bad for children; even adults can't handle it. It leads to obesity and all sorts of illnesses!"
...
In an instant, more than half of the Oriental family's subsidiaries in Yanjing were in trouble.
During the banquet, some people were even secretly live-streaming, pushing the events of the evening into the spotlight.
Almost simultaneously, the Oriental family's problematic companies were all exposed online, and victims began sharing their experiences.
Lin Xingwan, standing in the distance, was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
"This Zhou Bingwen is too ruthless! This was definitely planned by him. To bring down Zhou Jinbai, he would even do this to his own family's businesses. What benefit does he gain from slandering the Oriental family's industries? And even if Zhou Bingwen becomes the head of the Oriental family, what's the point? It's like hurting the enemy by a thousand, and yourself by eight hundred!"
Lin Xingwan was furious, and a voice within her urged her to show everyone the contents of the diary, so they would know Zhou Bingwen was the one who had done all the bad deeds.
But... would the diary truly be effective?
"For Zhou Bingwen, all he wants is the position of the Oriental family patriarch. As long as he can sit on that chair, he wouldn't care if the entire Oriental family were to be buried with him. This has long become an obsession for Zhou Bingwen. Tonight is Zhou Jinbai's tribulation; this day was bound to come between him and Zhou Bingwen, it's just a matter of who wins in the end. Even if you prevent this tribulation, another will come. It's a fight to the death."
Duan Muxing's voice was as cold and clear as water. The words that fell into Lin Xingwan's ears were like buckets of icy water, leaving her unsure of what to do.
However, seeing Zhou Jinbai being pointed at by everyone, Lin Xingwan couldn't stand by idly.
Just as Lin Xingwan was about to step forward, Duan Muxing precisely grasped her wrist.
The grip was strong, and Lin Xingwan felt pain in her wrist.
"Duan Muxing, let go of me!"
Lin Xingwan frowned, her expression showing extreme defiance.
"Zhou Jinbai won't die, but if you go now, your mother will have died in vain. I believe you understand the weight of this better than I do."
Duan Muxing's words instantly extinguished Lin Xingwan's impulsive urge.
That's right!
Hadn't she worked so hard for so long precisely to avenge her mother?
If she rushed forward now, not only would she solve nothing, but she would also get herself into trouble.
Ultimately, Lin Xingwan reluctantly gave up.
As for Zhou Jinbai, he listened to these accusations in silence, his face as cold as an unmelting iceberg.
The things he had once dared not face, and the things he had been unwilling to ponder, now struck him like the loudest slaps.
Zhou Jinbai was no fool. The reason he didn't want to think too much was his fear that his own speculations would lead to a disappointing outcome.
But now, he felt that even if he avoided something, it would still unfold according to its original course.
"Bingwen, aren't you responsible for all of this?" the old woman could no longer bear to listen. Over the years, Jinbai had entrusted Zhou Bingwen with the management of eighty percent of the Oriental family's businesses.
Although Zhou Jinbai appeared as the high and mighty Oriental Junze in front of outsiders, in reality, within the entire Oriental family, Zhou Bingwen was the one in power.
Yet now, when all the problems erupted, Zhou Bingwen didn't immediately admit it.
"Mother, I only learned about this tonight. Although I manage many family affairs, I've also been dedicating myself to Buddhist studies over the years, as you've all seen. I had no idea such things would happen."
Zhou Bingwen also looked bewildered, his eyes conveying a sense of grievance even greater than Zhou Jinbai's.
The old woman, looking at Zhou Bingwen's hypocritical and disgusting demeanor, immediately understood that her son was behind it all.
It turned out her worries over the years were not unfounded.
The old woman looked at Zhou Bingwen with disappointment. At this moment, she felt that giving this son chances time and again had harmed her grandson.
"It was you... you did all of this, didn't you? It was you!" The old woman seemed to have understood something, but before she could say more, Zhou Jinbai interrupted her.
"Everyone, tonight's events were indeed due to my lack of foresight. I will bear all the losses and provide compensation as required. Furthermore, I will have the Oriental conglomerate's Yanjing industries investigated, and I will absolutely provide everyone with an explanation."
As he finished speaking, several police officers entered the crowd.
One of them approached Zhou Jinbai and said, "Mr. Oriental, please forgive us for any offense."
With that, he produced a pair of handcuffs and fastened them onto Zhou Jinbai's wrists.
From beginning to end, Zhou Jinbai offered no resistance. As he was led away by the police, he glanced towards where Lin Xingwan was standing.
When Zhou Jinbai saw Duan Muxing holding Lin Xingwan's wrist, his heart was pierced with pain.
Soon, the man's figure disappeared from everyone's sight.
Zhou Bingwen seized this moment to address the crowd, "As you can all see, my nephew has been taken away by the police. I believe the law will provide a satisfactory answer to everyone. As for tonight's events, I will handle them for my nephew. Those who were injured or died, please come here to register."
There was no trace of sadness or grief on Zhou Bingwen's face. In fact, at this moment, Zhou Bingwen's lips seemed to be curving upwards slightly.
The old woman, enraged, raised her hand to slap Zhou Bingwen, but before her hand could fall, Zhou Bingwen intercepted it mid-air.
"You unfilial son, you are no better than an animal! You planned all of this tonight! Jinbai respected you so much since he was a child, treating you like his own father, and this is how you treat him?"
The old woman was furious, but Zhou Bingwen sneered, "Mother, I don't know what you're talking about. I've always treated Jinbai as my own son. How could I possibly plot against him? However, it's understandable that you would suspect me. After all, since childhood, I've never been a good child in your eyes. I'm not as good as my brother, nor as good as Jinbai. I'm just a waste."
After speaking, Zhou Bingwen released the old woman's hand and turned to walk in another direction.
The old woman was so angry that she staggered backward.
Jia Yanzhen, seeing this, quickly went to the old woman's side.
However, before Jia Yanzhen could reach the old woman, she was steadied by someone else.
Jia Yanzhen and the old woman exchanged glances, surprised to see it was Meng Chuzheng.
Seeing Meng Chuzheng, the old woman's mood worsened, and her blood pressure surged.
"You... don't touch me... get lost... get away... don't touch me..." At this moment, the old woman could barely utter a complete sentence.
Meng Chuzheng glanced at her and said, "Save your strength. If you die now, your grandson won't even be out of prison before he has to see you off. We need to find a way to resolve these matters. Getting angry and fainting is useless."
Meng Chuzheng's tone was full of disdain, but her eyes held genuine concern.
Jia Yanzhen, upon hearing Meng Chuzheng's words, showed a look of profound surprise.
For years, Meng Chuzheng and the old woman had been at loggerheads, yet now, in the midst of such a crisis, it was Meng Chuzheng who stayed by the old woman's side.
At this moment, Jia Huaixu couldn't help but say, "This place is no longer safe. We need to leave quickly."
As if on cue, just as Jia Huaixu finished speaking, gunshots rang out again.
However, this time, more of the Oriental family members were killed.
The old woman watched in horror as her relatives were struck down by indiscriminate bullets, including young ones, the youngest only a few years old...
"No..." The old woman tried to rush forward but was tightly held back by Jia Yanzhen and Meng Chuzheng.
Ultimately, she was forcibly taken away by Jia Huaixu's bodyguards.
As for Zhou Bingwen, he watched all of this with a near-mad expression.
He watched as the juniors who called him uncle and grandfather fell one by one, dying, not even knowing what they had done wrong to bring about such a deadly fate.
But for some people, simply existing was a mistake.
Duan Muxing also led Lin Xingwan away from the scene of chaos.
The events that transpired at the Oriental family that night quickly dominated the headlines.
These reports all targeted Zhou Jinbai, claiming that his inaction over the years had caused so many people to suffer and be implicated.
Even false rumors were spread online.
The most absurd was linking Zhou Jinbai to disappearances.
As a result, Zhou Jinbai's character and reputation plummeted, eventually making him a villain to be condemned by all.
In reality, the internet doesn't need truth.
As long as it satisfies the netizens' imaginations, they will conjure up even wilder scenarios.
They don't even need the truth; they only believe what they want to believe!
The incident festered for three days, with many companies jointly demanding that Zhou Jinbai be removed from his position as the Oriental family patriarch and that Zhou Bingwen be recommended as the new head.
Moreover, there were many flattering articles about Zhou Bingwen appearing online, praising him to the skies.
Netizens also widely agreed that Zhou Bingwen would be the most suitable patriarch for the Oriental family.
Meanwhile, Lin Xingwan, who had been kept under soft confinement by Duan Muxing, after three days and nights of anxiety, finally, unwilling to give up, attempted to escape again.
After Lin Xingwan's fifty-seventh failed escape attempt, Duan Muxing reluctantly appeared before her.
Seeing Lin Xingwan with disheveled hair, covered in dirt, Duan Muxing, sitting in his wheelchair, looked down at the woman who had jumped from the window and fallen onto the lawn. His pale, handsome face was etched with an impending storm of anger.
"It seems you won't rest until you see Zhou Jinbai? You don't care about the dangers outside?" Duan Muxing's voice was filled with unconcealed anger. In the past, he would have considered Lin Xingwan's actions as the "love-struck idiocy" he most disdained.
But now, Duan Muxing felt more jealousy. How deep was this love that she would disregard all that?
Why couldn't he possess such love?
Of course, these chaotic emotions were well hidden by Duan Muxing.
"I must see how Zhou Jinbai is before I can rest assured. Otherwise, I don't know what he might encounter or endure in prison."
Lin Xingwan's voice was filled with pleading. "Duan Muxing, I know you have a way to let me see Zhou Jinbai. Please, I beg you, let me see him."
Lin Xingwan had now placed all her hopes on Duan Muxing. "I promise I won't let Zhou Jinbai discover me. I'll just stand far away and look at him. As long as I can confirm Zhou Jinbai is safe, I won't do this anymore."
Lin Xingwan believed that with the passage of time, she could gradually forget Zhou Jinbai.
But now, it seemed that was not the case at all.
Regarding the events of that night, Lin Xingwan didn't believe Zhou Jinbai hadn't suspected Zhou Bingwen!
One was a man he admired immensely, a senior figure like a father.
Zhou Jinbai had even mentioned Zhou Bingwen to her more than once, and each time, Lin Xingwan saw a light appear in Zhou Jinbai's eyes.
Zhou Bingwen had played the role of a perfect father in Zhou Jinbai's childhood. Zhou Jinbai's memories of his own father were not deep, but his feelings for Zhou Bingwen were undoubtedly akin to those for his father.
"Alright, I'll take you, but don't be too sad when you see him," Duan Muxing said. Lin Xingwan then cast a confused gaze at him.
Although Lin Xingwan asked nothing, her face was full of bewilderment.
Duan Muxing was also very agitated at this moment, so he couldn't possibly explain things to Lin Xingwan properly.
Half an hour later.
Inside Yanjing Prison.
Duan Muxing brought Lin Xingwan to the surveillance room.
The staff inside had already pulled up the surveillance footage from Zhou Jinbai's cell.
When Lin Xingwan saw Zhou Jinbai lying on the bed with Cen Zhiyuan sitting by his bedside, her heart felt a pang of bitterness.
She was clearly Zhou Jinbai's woman, yet she couldn't be by his side when he was suffering.
"Why is Zhou Jinbai like this?" Although the surveillance footage wasn't perfectly clear, Zhou Jinbai's pale complexion was evident.
Even the exposed skin on his body showed bruises.
"It doesn't matter who it is. Once someone enters prison, they are just a prisoner. And Zhou Jinbai is a person of particular interest, so how could he possibly have a peaceful time in there?"
Duan Muxing's tone was filled with sarcasm. Since Zhou Bingwen was confident enough to send Zhou Jinbai to this prison, he had already prepared to abandon all pretense.
Zhou Bingwen had nurtured this chess piece for so many years; he couldn't wait any longer.
"I want to give the diary to Zhou Jinbai. Whether he believes it or not, I will tell him everything Zhou Bingwen has done over the years. As for how Zhou Jinbai ultimately chooses to handle it, that will be his business."
Lin Xingwan's tone was full of determination. After she finished speaking, she unexpectedly heard the old woman's voice from behind her.
"What do you want to tell Jinbai? What do you know?"
Lin Xingwan and Duan Muxing turned around and saw the old woman being supported by Jia Yanzhen and Meng Chuzheng. In just three days, she looked so frail that she seemed on the verge of death.
Her appearance made one feel a pang of sympathy.