Xie Youzhou showed no mercy.
Holda, who was trying to escape, was punched to the ground by Xie Youzhou. Before Holda could react, Xie Youzhou had him pinned with his knee, tied up, and tossed into a corner.
Xie Youzhou wasn’t one to show mercy to those who sought to harm his Gege, especially through such a despicable method as d**g addiction.
“Who sent you?” Xie growled, his eyes burning with fury.
Holda’s face was smeared with blood from his nose, but he looked up at Xie with no fear. His breathing was ragged, and he spoke with a hoarse voice. “You’re not going to call the police? If you’ve got the guts … go ahead and kill me.”
Xie Youzhou crouched down slowly, his crimson eyes like bottomless pits of hell. The terrifying aura he’d always tried to suppress erupted, and it sent shivers down Holda’s spine. Holda could feel the presence of death radiating from him. This man had killed before—there was no doubt about it.
Though Holda tried to maintain his composure, he couldn’t stop the slight tremor in his body. He swallowed hard, his voice cracking. “Even if you kill me, what difference does it make? We just wanted to get Lin Zhiyu hooked on drugs. He’s too famous, too rich!”
Xie Youzhou narrowed his eyes. “We?”
Holda smirked weakly. “Even if I don’t tell you, you’ll find out eventually. The guy caught in Xiaozhuzhu? He’s my father. We wanted to destroy Lin Zhiyu. Didn’t he give patents worth tens of millions to Hua Xia for free? Well, once he’s addicted to drugs and needs money, the government will have to step in, right? They’ll have no choice but to pay.”
The words sent a wave of fury through Xie Youzhou. Without hesitation, he grabbed Holda’s arm and twisted it with a sickening crack.
The casual cruelty of Holda’s confession—destroying someone’s life with d**gs—infuriated Xie Youzhou. Regardless of the truth behind it or who was pulling the strings, Holda’s sheer lack of remorse or guilt made Xie Youzhou’s blood boil. If he wasn’t worried about jeopardizing his plans to protect his Gege, Xie Youzhou wouldn’t have stopped at just breaking a bone.
Xie Youzhou’s piercing, ice-cold stare never wavered as he considered the likely masterminds behind Holda. It had to be someone with power—perhaps someone connected to the Ruan family or even a suitor of Ruan Jiaojiao. The Hortez family seemed a prime suspect.
Just as Xie Youzhou was about to interrogate Holda further, there was a sudden knock at the door. Xie Youzhou quickly masked his rage and hurried over. Through the peephole, he saw Lin Zhiyu standing outside.
Opening the door, Xie Youzhou’s voice softened instantly. “Gege.”
But there was still a glimmer of anger in his tone. “He’s spouting nonsense, not giving up any useful information.”
Holda, for his part, had gone silent, his earlier defiance flickering.
Lin Zhiyu stepped inside, his face cold. Holda instinctively averted his gaze, shrinking back despite his earlier bravado. Lin Zhiyu’s presence was commanding, and he seemed unable to maintain eye contact.
“You didn’t feel any guilt when you tried to destroy me. Don’t start acting like you’ve got a conscience now,” Lin Zhiyu said, his voice dripping with contempt.
Holda clenched his fists so tightly that his palms nearly bled, veins bulging in his arms. He couldn’t hide his rage, but he also couldn’t muster a response.
“You’re still alive,” Lin Zhiyu continued. “Does that disappoint you? Didn’t completing your mission mean everything to you?”
Lin Zhiyu pulled a chair up, sitting calmly in front of Holda. “Let’s cut the act. We both know you’re not the mastermind here.”
Gritting his teeth, Holda insisted, “It’s just me and my father. We’re the ones behind it.”
Unbothered, Lin Zhiyu casually pulled out his phone and showed Holda a picture. The moment Holda saw it, his eyes widened in shock. The image showed someone of significant importance, someone Holda hadn’t expected Lin Zhiyu to know.
“I’ve never seen him,” Holda stammered, trying to keep his composure. “Whoever’s in that photo, they have nothing to do with me.”
But Lin Zhiyu and Xie Youzhou exchanged knowing glances. They had their answer.
“Call the police,” Xie said calmly.
“Already on it,” Lin Zhiyu replied. “Let’s inform the media while we’re at it. They need to know that someone from M Country tried to murder me by injecting high-purity meth into fruits and selling them at the market near my house. I was targeted just so they could destroy my life.”
Holda’s face drained of color as Lin Zhiyu continued, “We should also reveal that the Hortez family, infamous for their drug empire, was behind this. But their plan failed because one of their people had a change of heart and surrendered. The government will likely consider leniency due to this witness’s cooperation.”
Every word from Lin Zhiyu made Holda’s body tremble. He could barely hold back the terror coursing through him. He knew that if this story went public—whether true or not—it would be the end of him. Worse, his boss, the man who held ultimate power, would certainly come for him.
Finally, Holda broke down. As Lin Zhiyu started dialing the media, Holda screamed in desperation, “NO—!!!”
He lunged at Lin Zhiyu, but Xie Youzhou swiftly kicked him back, sending him crashing to the floor.
Holda lay on the ground, his body aching and his face contorted with a twisted mix of pain and fear. His usual mask of meekness had slipped, revealing the bloodthirsty calculation beneath. He knew the only way to survive was to cooperate, but he couldn’t resist trying to bargain.
“I’ll help you,” Holda croaked, his voice thick with desperation. “I’ll help you identify the people behind this. But I have one request—”
“You’re in no position to make demands,” Lin Zhiyu cut him off coldly, hanging up his phone with one hand. “We know who’s pulling the strings. You’re not helping us; you’re begging us to save you.”
Holda swallowed, a wave of panic rising in his chest. “I am begging you … with my cooperation, things will go smoother. I’ll identify everyone involved, but you have to help my sister. Announce everything only after you’ve saved her, or they’ll torture her to death.”
Lin Zhiyu’s expression remained icy, unmoved. Holda could tell he wasn’t getting through. Desperation gnawed at him, and he knew he had to show his hand if he wanted any chance of survival. Gritting his teeth, he spoke again, his voice trembling.
“I’ll admit it. Old Vulture and I—we came from a place near a drug factory in the Golden Triangle. We were sent here by our boss, Banda. But the one calling the shots, the real mastermind, is the person in that photo on your phone.” Holda took a deep breath, the weight of his words crushing him. “We were supposed to make you addicted to d**gs. I know it is evil, but I didn’t have a choice… My sister is still trapped there. If I go to the police, they won’t care about her. They’ll storm the place, and my sister will be the first to die.”
Holda’s voice broke as he spoke, his breath ragged. “I know it’s no excuse, but… I couldn’t let her die.”
Xie Youzhou’s cold laugh cut through the room. “So you thought the only solution was to ruin someone else’s life? To destroy someone with drugs? You’re still acting like a victim even now.”
“I’m not… I’m not!” Holda’s voice cracked as tears welled up in his eyes. The weight of his guilt bore down on him like a heavy stone. His mind flashed back to the people he’d seen on d**gs—their bodies rotting, their minds deteriorating. People who had once been human were reduced to something less than animals, their dignity, their will, and their lives were slowly stripped away by addiction. He’d seen them clawing at the ground for just a tiny bit more, willing to degrade themselves beyond recognition.
He hated drugs more than anything. And yet, here he was, using them to destroy someone else’s life. His body trembled uncontrollably as his breath quickened.
For the first time since this nightmare began, Holda allowed himself to confront the full horror of what he had done. He had tried to ignore it, to push away the guilt, but now it was staring him in the face. There was no escaping it.
He took another shaky breath and looked up at Lin Zhiyu, forcing himself to meet his gaze. This time, there was no defiance, no bargaining—just raw guilt and shame.
“I’m sorry,” Holda choked out, his voice barely above a whisper. His body collapsed under the weight of his words, and he broke down completely.
Lin Zhiyu stood unmoved. He had always been a gentle soul, but there was no warmth left in him for someone like Holda. He didn’t feel anything, not even anger—just cold indifference.
Without a word, Lin Zhiyu placed his phone on the table next to him and crossed his arms.
“Tell us everything you know.”