"Understood."
Lin Mei quickly turned her head and moved to a quieter spot, pulling out her phone.
Meanwhile, inside the Lin family villa, the situation was far from good.
Lin Dong was currently under the care of a family doctor, waiting for his body to recover.
A group of people soon surrounded him.
These people were not from the villa, and they were certainly not there to check on Lin Dong's health.
Among them, one person spoke up first.
"Old Lin, we're all old friends. Tell me, what happened to you?"
Before Lin Dong could respond, the person continued in a tone that seemed concerned, yet his true intentions were elsewhere.
"You're an elder, and you still push yourself like this. Why bother? Well, this time, you've finally pushed yourself into a corner."
"That's right!"
The rest of the people were all around Lin Dong's age.
Hearing this person's words, the others couldn't help but agree.
Lin Dong remained silent.
In this situation, facing these people, he had no face left to argue.
He lowered his head, quietly allowing the liquid from the IV bag to flow into his body through the needle.
Although Lin Dong said nothing, these people had no intention of letting him off easily.
"Old Lin, we can't help you with this matter today. How about this?"
As he spoke, the man took out a piece of paper from his pocket.
Then, he placed a pen in front of Lin Dong.
"Old Lin, it's not that we brothers don't want to help you, but as you know, the overall business environment is not optimistic. We old guys don't want to stir up any more trouble; we just want to live out our retirement peacefully. So, Old Lin, you should just sign it."
Lin Dong looked at the paper through his cloudy, blurry eyes.
At this moment, his mind was on the verge of clarity and confusion.
However, just as his gaze fell upon the paper, all the blur seemed to be swept away by a strong wind.
"This, you guys!"
These people in front of him were all individuals who had joined when the Lin family was at its peak.
After so many years of doing business together, they were considered veterans.
And now, these very veterans, whom Lin Dong had considered as solid as a rock, were preparing to retire.
This!
It would be a great surprise if Lin Dong felt anything but terrible at this moment.
These people had benefited greatly from the Lin family's prosperity, but now, with just a little trouble, they were all ready to leave.
If he could stand up right now,
and if he could let out a loud shout, with his temper, he would at least let these people know the power of the Lin family's patriarch, if not curse them out.
However, all of this had become a distant hope.
In Lin Dong's eyes, only despair remained.
Seeing Lin Dong hesitating,
the man who spoke first clearly became impatient.
Everyone here was to disassociate themselves from Lin Dong and avoid the considerable risk involved.
Every moment that passed was a loss.
Being able to speak to Lin Dong calmly was the limit of his patience.
Therefore, at this moment, the man smiled and urged him on.
"Old Lin, we're all old friends. Please sign the paper!"
After speaking, the man picked up the pen that had fallen askew and was about to thrust it into Lin Dong's trembling hand.
But the moment the pen touched Lin Dong's hand.
*Clatter!*
The pen was instantly flicked away like an arrow from a bow.
"No, I won't sign!"
Lin Dong spoke with difficulty; this was his last act of defiance.
However, in the eyes of this man, this was clearly refusing a toast and opting for a penalty.
Since he was unwilling to accept a peaceful resolution,
then he shouldn't blame the man for being harsh.
The man quickly stood up and picked up the pen from the ground.
When the man stood before Lin Dong again,
his face, which had been as gentle as the warm spring breeze, was now clouded with gloom.
"Old Lin, today, you will sign whether you want to or not."
"Someone, hold him down!"
The people standing nearby all followed his lead.
Upon hearing this, these people had no reason not to obey.
Moreover, these people, like him, all shared the same objective.
No matter how close their relationship or personal ties with Lin Dong were, it did not affect their determination to get their money.
Thus, in a moment,
Lin Dong was firmly restrained.
"Old Lin, if you don't sign, don't blame us for being ruthless."
Another person spoke in a low voice, then looked up at the IV drip and the pain relief device connected to Lin Dong.
This clearly indicated that if he refused, they would pull the plug!
Seeing this, all the maids and nurses descended into chaos.
"What should we do?"
"If these people, if the master..."
The maids were like ants on a hot pan.
The current situation was far from ordinary.
"Perhaps we should call for the young lady."
At this time, only someone from within the Lin family could handle such a matter.
Upon hearing this, the maids quickly reached a consensus on this decision.
One of them quickly ran downstairs.
However, before she could get far, the old men had already made arrangements.
"I'm sorry, please go back."
On the stairs leading to the first floor, men in suits, looking like they were from The Matrix, formed a wall and blocked her path.
She intended to force her way through, but how could a woman stand against these strong young men?
In an instant, before she could even comprehend what was happening,
the woman was knocked over by the man opposite her, falling into a corner.
"Our boss has instructed that from now on, this place is for entry only, no exit!"
Helpless, the maid could only return the way she came.
After explaining the situation to the gathered maids,
these people also completely gave up.
Unable to leave, they could only hope in their hearts that Lin Dong would be alright.
But hope could not solve the problem.
Lin Dong was stubborn by nature, and now, under such pressure,
the obstinacy hidden in his bones was all triggered.
"I, I will not sign."
From his previously weak throat, he managed to force out a few syllables.
"Good!"
The man had never seen such stubbornness.
He knew that without resorting to force, without taking real action, it would be difficult to make Lin Dong comply.
"Then I won't be polite."
As he spoke, the man was about to fiercely pull out the pain relief device inserted into Lin Dong.
Once this device was removed, Lin Dong would be in excruciating pain.
Young people could endure it,
but for an elderly person, this could directly lead to death.
The nurse could no longer bear to watch and quickly stepped forward.
At the same time, she raised her voice and warned loudly.
"Stop, do you know this is murder?"
Although these men were older, they were all influential figures in Southeast City.
Since they dared to do this, they must have the confidence and capital to do so.
The nurse's voice was like a thunderclap.
However, these words fell on deaf ears to the men.
Seeing that one of the men's hands was about to fall on the pain relief device,
all that was left was a forceful pull.