"What did you say?" second uncle asked. He was dumbfounded.
He wasnât the only one; others were also clueless. Since it was completely unexpected and unpredictable news, everyoneâs brain was slow.
The servant cried out, "Young Master Banshan isnât moving."
The eldest uncle came out of the daze and suggested urgently, "Letâs check it out."
"Letâs go," second uncle nervously agreed and they stepped out of the room along with Xue Linâs male cousins and brothers-in-law.
The room was full of chaos. The guests hurriedly got out of the room and followed the eldest uncle and second uncle.
When Wanwan heard that her husband wasnât moving, her legs became weak and her blood turned cold.
Her body swayed and she collapsed on the cold floor.
The female guests screamed and so did second aunt. They immediately carried her and put her on the bed.
Xue Lin didnât waste another time on Wanwan. She tugged Ge Chenâs hand.
Ge Chen silently gazed at her and then they went out of the room. They followed where others went.
Only the close relatives entered Yu Banshanâs room. They were all men. They closed the door of the outer room as soon they saw Yu Banshan lying on the floor.
Because of that, others couldnât go to the inner room.
They seemed too quiet. It felt ominous.
Some guests knocked on the door but called out from outside but no one answered.
"I know a place," Xue Lin whispered.
The two of them exchanged glances and sneaked out of the house. They went to the backyard.
It was already dark and no one noticed them. They went inside through the balcony and saw that her four cousins and two brothers-in-law put Yu Banshan on the bed. They were cleaning the mess.
The eldest uncle and second uncle were talking. Eldest uncle was patting his younger brother.
"What happened here?" Xue Lin asked from the balcony.
They were startled by her sudden appearance.
Her eldest brother (cousin) hissed, "Xue Lin, you shouldnât have come here."
"Donât worry, Iâm not scared or anything. Iâm not my fifth brother," Xue Lin casually said and stepped toward Yu Banshanâs lying body.
She held his wrist and checked his pulse. She closed her eyes and sighed. "He is dead," she announced. "His body is still warm. It means he died some moments ago."
"How did he die? Did he have a heart attack?" Ge Chen inquired.
"He didnât have a heart problem," second uncle informed them. He sat on a chair. His face looked pale.
"I think we should call off the wedding. We canât have a wedding when Banshan just died," second brother suggested.
"I-I will do that," second uncle stood up but he collapsed. He never thought that he had to experience his son-in-lawâs death when his daughter was pregnant.
"Uncle!" third brother, Richard, was close to him. He quickly caught him and assisted him to sit down. "Stay here; you donât have to go anywhere. We will handle it."
"Iâll take care of the guest," the eldest uncle said.
First brother-in-law stated, "Iâll assist you, father-in-law."
"We need to call a doctor too," second brother suggested.
"Hold on, you guys donât think itâs a normal death, do you?" Xue Lin asked. She was still sitting on the bed, beside the dead body.
Others looked at her and the eldest uncle questioned her, "Xue Lin, what do you mean by this?"
"He never had a heart disease. He didnât have a heart attack. He was sitting on a chair just like a normal person as per the servant said and he suddenly died like a soul eater took his soul away without letting him do anything," Xue Lin narrated the reason she was being suspicious.
Her first brother-in-law looked a bit frustrated, "Are you saying that itâs not a normal death? Xue Lin, just mind your own business, okay? You read too much thriller and thatâs why you are speaking nonsense. Will just go away and let the men handle it?"
"Watch your language when you talk to my wife," Ge Chen warned him in a low tone. His eyes were dangerously cold. He couldnât stand it when others insulted her or disrespected her. She was only here to help, not to play around.
First brother-in-law halted. He cowered under Ge Chenâs gaze and mumbled, "Sorry, I didnât mean it."
Ge Chen expressed his opinion, "I also believe that itâs too much of a coincidence that he died when he had no health issue. I will call the police."
"Why are you trying to make it look like a crime scene? This isnât a TV show!" This time, first brother shared his point of view, "Itâs a normal death and thatâs why we are still quiet. Leave it be."
"I wouldnât say that if I were in your position. There is a bed mark on the right side of his neck. Itâs tiny but visible. Someone deliberately injected something on his neck. That could be the cause of his death," Xue Lin moved the collar of Banyan and showed it to everyone.
While others were talking, she was checking the dead body and discovered this small wound.
"Iâm calling the police," Ge Chen acted immediately.
Othersâ faces turned pale. They couldnât even imagine that someone murdered Yu Banshan.
"H-howâs is this possible?" second uncle clutched his heart and his expression twisted.
"Brother, take deep breaths," eldest uncle hurriedly said. He rubbed second uncleâs heart but it wasnât working.
Richard fanned him with a book. He couldnât get anything else.
"Iâll call for an ambulance," second brother-in-law took out his cell phone.
Xue Lin looked around and frowned. "Why donât I see third brother-in-law? Shouldnât he be here right now?"
"I called him but he didnât answer," first brother replied.
"Iâll go and check out of him and tell others about the situation," Richard declared.
"I will go with you. We have to call off the wedding," fourth brother said.
Soon after, Richardâs cell phone rang. He answered the call and said, "Look, itâs not the right time.... Say what?!"
His shout made others focus on him. Seeing his expression, they thought what could be worse than Yu Banshanâs death news.
Richard hung up and announced, "Third brother-in-law was found dead on the rooftop."