Li Zhenmian booked a room next to Yun Zhi’s at the hotel. After arriving, her phone buzzed with a message.
[Li Weizhong: Captain, Collins’ people are looking for you.]
[Li Zhenmian replied: Got it.]
Meanwhile, Su Pei had also tracked down the hotel where Li Zhenmian was staying.
She had expected Li Zhenmian to fly straight back to the country, but instead, she’d stayed in Bay State.
In the penthouse presidential suite, Qi Siyan reviewed the file on Li Zhenmian that the archives department had sent over.
He’d actually skimmed her file before. Although Li Zhenmian bore a striking resemblance to Jiang Zhi, he’d spotted the differences between them at a single glance.
And aside from that face, Li Zhenmian was completely different from Jiang Zhi in every way—whether in personality or habits.
But today, seeing that mole seemed to have completely shattered his conclusion.
Was it a coincidence, or was someone deliberately orchestrating this?
Li Zhenmian’s background file was simple. Her parents had died early, and she’d grown up with her grandmother in the Yun family. The Yun family’s information was glossed over. The file contained every school she’d attended, every city she’d visited, every person she’d come into contact with—nothing was omitted.
Qi Siyan’s gaze stopped at the family section.
Mother: Yun Yueru
Father: Unknown
The moment he saw the name Yun Yueru, the hand gripping the file tightened.
Yun Yueru was also Zhizhi’s mother…
The first time he’d looked at Li Zhenmian’s file, he hadn’t noticed this detail, because he’d denied from the very start that Li Zhenmian could be Jiang Zhi.
The DNA information entered into the base database also showed they were different.
But now, Li Zhenmian’s identity was riddled with doubts—including whether this file itself was even authentic.
The next morning, Yun Zhi eagerly dragged Li Zhenmian out for some shopping.
Li Zhenmian wore jeans and a white designer blouse. The simple combination made her look even more ethereal and striking.
A pair of sunglasses rested on the bridge of her nose, radiating a “stay away” aura.
Yun Zhi happily linked her arm through Li Zhenmian’s as the two headed downstairs.
In the hotel lobby’s lounge area, Qi Siyan sat there.
Su Pei stood beside him. Catching sight of Li Zhenmian and the other woman approaching, he called out to her:
“Miss Li! You’re staying here too?” Su Pei asked with a grin.
Li Zhenmian paused mid-step and followed the voice. Qi Siyan had risen to his feet as well, walking over to stand before her.
“Miss Li, what a coincidence.” He gave her a slight nod.
This was the first time Qi Siyan had proactively greeted her—and so politely, at that.
Li Zhenmian couldn’t help but wonder: had Qi Siyan lost his mind?
“Does Mr. Qi have business with me?” Li Zhenmian’s tone was flat.
“About what happened at Tianwaitian before, that was my fault. If there’s anything Miss Li would like…”
Li Zhenmian cut him off.
“I’ve said I don’t need anything. Mr. Qi, please step aside.” Qi Siyan must have a screw loose, picking a fight out of nowhere.
Without even glancing at Qi Siyan, Li Zhenmian pulled Yun Zhi away.
Yun Zhi looked curiously back and forth between the two, her sly little eyes darting around.
Oh? What was going on here? Something was brewing.
She asked out of curiosity:
“Sis, who was that just now? What’s your relationship?”
“Qi Siyan.”
“We have no relationship.”
Yun Zhi nodded thoughtfully. She could tell—her cousin didn’t seem to like this guy much.
“Wait! I’ve heard that name somewhere.”
“Qi Siyan? The big shot from Andu?” Yun Zhi gasped.
This was a man who held Andu in the palm of his hand. Even the current president of Country A had been pushed into that seat by him personally.
“He’s into you? The way he set this up, he was clearly waiting for you downstairs on purpose.” Yun Zhi’s gossip instincts blazed to life.
“I happen to look somewhat like his deceased lover.”
Yun Zhi immediately latched onto the key point.
“What do you mean! A first love? A substitute?” Rich guys always loved playing that game.
A moment later, something occurred to her, and she suddenly looked up at Li Zhenmian, as if she’d stumbled onto some earth-shattering secret.
Holy crap—the first love couldn’t possibly be her cousin, could it?
Yun Zhi pretended to ask casually: “What was the name of the person he liked?”
“Jiang Zhi.”
“…” Just as she’d guessed.
Li Zhenmian gave her a probing look.
“Why are you asking?”
Yun Zhi guiltily looked away, her eyes darting.
“Ah, I’m just curious, that’s all.”
Over the next few days, no matter where Li Zhenmian and the others went, they’d “coincidentally” run into Qi Siyan and his companion.
Finally, on the umpteenth encounter with Qi Siyan, Li Zhenmian had had enough.
“Qi Siyan, what’s your game?”
“Don’t tell me it’s a coincidence.” Her tone was sharp.
Qi Siyan was following them so openly and brazenly that even a blind man could tell he was doing it on purpose.
Yet there wasn’t a trace of guilt on Qi Siyan’s face.
“Dawn is looking for you. Bay State isn’t safe.”
“So what? You want to play the knight in shining armor?” Li Zhenmian sneered.
“Has Mr. Qi forgotten how you treated me before? What’s this—such a dramatic change in just a few days?”
“Or is Mr. Qi harboring ulterior motives?”
The barrage of questions made the woman’s irritation clear.
“Liang Yi asked me to ensure your safety.”
Qi Siyan looked at her with a complicated expression.
Li Zhenmian couldn’t listen to such a high-sounding excuse any longer.
She was, after all, the captain of the Execution Department. Even though this was her first mission, if she couldn’t handle even this, she might as well go straight to Director Liang and resign.
“So Director Liang still has doubts about my abilities.”
Li Zhenmian didn’t believe a single word Qi Siyan said. Such a flimsy excuse—who did he think he was fooling?
Qi Siyan didn’t care whether she believed him or not. Right now, there was only one thing he wanted to confirm.
Was she really his Zhizhi…
Dawn was searching for her all over the world, but Li Zhenmian had wiped away every trace of her tracks before she left.
Apart from Dawn having seen her wearing the mask, she had left no other clues behind.
Dawn searched for a week, and the result was that he found nothing at all.