When returning to the country, unsurprisingly, Li Zhenmian and Qi Siyan were on the same flight.
However, Li Zhenmian had completely ignored Qi Siyan by now.
After returning, Qi Siyan didn’t follow her anymore.
Li Zhenmian dropped Yun Zhi off at Yun Shiche’s villa before heading straight to the base, making a beeline for the archives department.
The people in the archives department had long heard that the new captain of Executive Division’s Fifth Squad bore a striking resemblance to former Captain Jiang Zhi, yet they still couldn’t help but be astonished upon seeing her.
“Hello, I’d like to take a look at Jiang Zhi’s file.”
“I’m sorry, Captain Li. All materials related to Captain Jiang Zhi are classified as top secret. Your clearance level isn’t high enough.”
Three years ago, after Jiang Zhi passed away, all her records were sealed. Currently, only Director Liang and Commander Qi have the authority to access them.
Li Zhenmian froze. So what exactly happened back then?
Why had all of Jiang Zhi’s records become top secret?
“Then what about her photos? Can I take a look?”
The young woman at the archives hesitated for a moment, then discreetly pulled out her phone and brought up a photo of Jiang Zhi.
She whispered, “This is a photo I secretly kept back then.”
Li Zhenmian took the phone she handed over. The photo showed Jiang Zhi training at the shooting range—a side profile of the woman firing a gun, her eyes filled with confidence and ease.
That stunning profile made Li Zhenmian freeze. When Wen Yang had said earlier that she and Jiang Zhi looked almost identical, she’d been skeptical.
But this photo made her feel a momentary daze, as if she were looking at herself.
The young woman from the archives observed Li Zhenmian’s reaction. Anyone seeing someone who looked so much like themselves would feel disoriented.
She even suspected the two might share some blood relation.
“Actually, Captain Jiang Zhi is somewhat of a taboo at the base. No one dares to mention her, especially in front of that person.”
No need to say who—it was Qi Siyan.
Li Zhenmian stared at the face that was nearly identical to hers, lost in thought, and asked without thinking:
“Did Qi Siyan love her very much?”
“Of course! Commander Qi doted on Captain Jiang like crazy. The two of them were so sweet back then.” At this point, the young woman perked up immediately.
“Actually, after Captain Jiang’s accident, the Commander almost couldn’t go on living. I heard that Old Master Lu—the Commander’s maternal grandfather—said something to him, and that’s what pulled him back together.”
“The Commander used to be cold and distant, but he still had some warmth to him. Now he’s like a machine without any emotions.”
Qi Siyan without Jiang Zhi was like a walking corpse.
“Also, the Commander is currently in a retired state. After Captain Jiang’s accident, the Commander insisted on leaving the base. The President personally came to persuade him, but in the end, they still couldn’t keep him.”
Even though Liang Yi was the Director, he held great respect for Qi Siyan.
So sealing Jiang Zhi’s records wasn’t just about keeping the events of that year confidential—it was more because of Qi Siyan.
Now, no one in Andu dared to mention Jiang Zhi in front of Qi Siyan.
Li Zhenmian handed the phone back. “Thank you.”
On her way out of the archives department, Li Zhenmian remained distracted, not noticing the person standing in front of her until she walked straight into him.
“Hiss.” She clutched her forehead and looked up, a cold, sharp jawline coming into view.
As she stepped back, her scalp stung—a few strands of hair had caught on the man’s shirt button. She was certain she and Qi Siyan were simply incompatible by fate.
“You bumped into me yourself.” Seeing the girl’s annoyed expression, Qi Siyan explained.
His explanation only made things worse. Li Zhenmian’s anger flared even more.
“I wasn’t watching where I was going—but is Mr. Qi blind too? This road is this wide, and you just stood there watching me walk into you?”
“Mm, my fault.” He had deliberately stood there waiting for her to bump into him.
He admitted fault so quickly that Li Zhenmian didn’t even have time to react. She fell silent for a moment.
All the words she’d been about to say got stuck in her throat, a breath of frustration trapped in her chest.
Why does a retired person come to the base so often anyway? Li Zhenmian grumbled inwardly.
“Can Mr. Qi step aside now?”
Qi Siyan said nothing, simply moving aside to let her pass.
After Li Zhenmian left, Qi Siyan remained standing in place. He reached down and removed the strands of hair tangled around his button.
Nian Zhi Yuan
In the study, Qi Siyan sat at his desk, fingers slightly bent, tapping lightly on the surface. On the desk lay a transparent bag containing several strands of hair.
Su Pei knocked and entered. “Sir.”
Qi Siyan pushed the bag forward. “Run a DNA comparison.”
“Sir, do you suspect there’s something wrong with the information from the National Security Bureau?”
Qi Siyan didn’t answer. Su Pei paused briefly, then took the item and left.
…
Su Pei was highly efficient—he had the results by the afternoon. At that moment, Qi Siyan was in a meeting at the Lu Group.
Qi Siyan’s mother was the only daughter of the Lu family and had died from complications during childbirth.
Qi Siyan was now the sole heir of the Lu family. He had been with the National Security Bureau until three years ago, when he formally took over the Lu Group.
The conference room door swung open as Su Pei strode quickly to Qi Siyan’s side, his expression respectful.
“Sir.”
Qi Siyan raised a hand. “Meeting adjourned.”
Although the others did not understand what was happening, they all quickly evacuated the conference room.
Su Pei placed the results in front of Qi Siyan, who opened them.
The conference room fell into an endless silence, and Su Pei couldn’t help but steal a curious glance.
The results were the same as those from the National Security Bureau—Li Zhenmian and Jiang Zhi were not the same person.
However, this test report showed that the two shared a familial relationship.
So, Li Zhenmian and Miss Jiang Zhi were biological sisters?!!
Su Pei privately wished that Li Zhenmian and Jiang Zhi were the same person, so that Qi Siyan wouldn’t have to suffer so much.
But fate did not comply with his wishes.
He now dared not look at Qi Siyan’s expression—wasn’t this completely shattering the master’s hopes?
Qi Siyan closed the test results expressionlessly. “Return to Nian Zhi Court.”
Su Pei blinked, and Qi Siyan had already walked out of the conference room. He quickly gathered the test report from the table and followed.