The Tycoon's Mysterious Darling Wife
Chapter 381 - 383. Past events of that year

Chapter 381: 383. Past events of that year

Xu Nuo lifted the corner of the painting and, sure enough, found the back hollowed out, with a safe embedded within. She carefully took down the painting, placing it on the ground. Staring at the safe’s keypad, she hesitated for a moment, then entered Allen’s birthday, but as expected, the password was incorrect.

She thought for another moment then typed in a different string of numbers, but it was still incorrect. On her third and final attempt—since the safe only allowed three tries before sounding an alarm, alerting others to her actions—Xu Nuo’s eyes darkened, she gritted her teeth and entered another sequence of numbers. The door of the safe clicked open and her complexion instantly turned somewhat pale.

"Allen, do you really love her that much?" Xu Nuo murmured softly. "Even setting your safe’s password to her birthday."

She opened the safe, pulled out a small flashlight, its dim light barely revealing the scene in front of her.

There were not many things inside the box, apart from a photo album, a small box, and a folder. Xu Nuo first opened the small box to find a piece of jade lying quietly inside. It was the jade Allen often held and played with, said to be left behind by Shen Qinglan; Allen always carried it with him, but for some reason, this time it wasn’t kept close to his heart.

Xu Nuo looked at the jade in her palm, her expression shifting unpredictably. Eventually, she placed the jade back into the box. She picked up the photo album and flipped through it, finding photos of a girl from childhood to adolescence, every picture set in a different scene, but what remained consistent was the girl’s cold gaze. Without guessing, Xu Nuo knew who was in these photos.

Her hand clenched into a tight fist as she stared at the photos of Shen Qinglan for a long time until her hand stiffened. Then she put everything back, grabbed the folder without looking at its contents, closed the safe, and restored everything to its original state. Xu Nuo left Allen’s room silently, as if she had never been there at all.

************

During this trip to Beijing, Allen did nothing but stand distantly in a corner, observing Shen Qinglan as she shopped with friends, shared laughs with her mother, and most naturally, when she was with Fu Hengyi, displaying a gentle look in her eyes and brows.

Upon his return to the castle, Allen locked himself in his room, drinking in solitary silence. He didn’t notice that his room had been tampered with or that items from his safe were missing. Through his haze of drunken vision, he looked at the painting on the wall, his eyes tender, "Xiaoqi, why can’t I be more heartless and keep you by my side? Even if it means breaking your legs, as long as it keeps you with me... I’ve thought about it countless times, and wanted to do it just as many, but every time I see you, I can’t bring myself to do it. What kind of spell have you cast on me to make me ache for you like this?"

"Xiaoqi, haven’t I treated you well? Why did you leave me to fall in love with a soldier? Don’t you know he can hurt you? In this world, only I, only I love you most and will never hurt you. Xiaoqi, won’t you come back to me?"

The room’s door opened from the outside, and Dr. Peter walked in. He wasn’t surprised by the smell of alcohol in the room; it was always like this when Allen returned from Beijing, and he had gone from initial shock to now being numb to it.

"Get out," Allen said harshly, his gaze towards Peter sharp and dark. Peter was no longer afraid of him and snatched the bottle from his hand, "Don’t drink yourself to death, or else all my years of effort will be wasted. Allen, it’s just a woman, is she really worth it?"

Allen also wanted to ask himself if it was worth it. It was just a woman, he could have as many as he wanted, but of the thousands of women in the world, none were Shen Qinglan, none were the Xiaoqi he loved.

"Get out," Allen growled, reaching for another bottle, but Peter kicked it away. Allen’s menacing stare made Peter feel like even his strong heart couldn’t take much more.

"Allen, I have important news for you. I’m leaving for a while and won’t be back for a short time. I left your medicine in the usual place. If your leg hurts too much, take it yourself but manage the dosage. I don’t want to have to come back just to collect your corpse."

Allen, uncharacteristically, looked up at him, "Where are you going?"

Peter raised an eyebrow, surprised by Allen’s reaction, "I thought you would have just told me to ’get lost’. I didn’t expect you to be concerned about me."

Allen withdrew his gaze, "Never mind, I didn’t ask. Just leave."

However, Peter didn’t leave but rather said, "I owed someone a favor years ago, and now I need to go repay it. I’ll probably be gone for about a month. I left you a month’s supply of medicine. It’s better to take less. Given your current condition, taking medicine will only enhance your resistance, and in the end, you will be the one who suffers."

Allen remained silent. He was well aware of his own body’s state; the injury from before had been too severe. Even though his life had been saved, he was left in a near-crippled condition.

"I get it, now get out," Allen said coldly.

Peter shook his head, "Allen, if you ever learned to be a bit kinder to others, to show that you care about them, you would have won over your beauty long ago." Having said that, he made a hasty retreat before Allen could blow up.

Just as Peter walked out, he saw Xu Nuo standing outside Allen’s room, hesitating.

Peter chuckled, "What are you doing standing here? If you want to go in, just go in."

Xu Nuo glanced at him, expressionless, turned, and was about to leave but then, on second thought, she went straight in.

Peter was completely ignored, but he didn’t mind in the slightest. In Xu Nuo’s eyes, there was only one person, Allen, whom she couldn’t see past.

Xu Nuo went in to see Allen drinking alcohol, half a bottle already gone, "Master."

Allen didn’t even spare her a glance, simply kept drinking, but he didn’t tell her to leave either. Xu Nuo straightened her hair, dyed it back to black, and let it fall over her shoulders, wearing a set of casual clothes. At first glance, she slightly resembled Shen Qinglan.

Watching Allen drink as if it were water, Xu Nuo’s eyes were filled with restrained and enduring heartache, "Master, stop drinking."

"Heh heh," Allen sneered coldly, "Now even you can order me around?"

Xu Nuo immediately shut her mouth and stood to one side, becoming as insignificant as the air, while Allen treated her as just that.

"Xiaoqi." As the alcohol took effect, Allen called out a name, one that was very familiar to Xu Nuo. Xiaoqi, Shen Qinglan’s codename. In the Devil Base, each person had a codename, and Xu Nuo was no exception. However, the codename Xiaoqi had always been vacant.

She hadn’t understood before, but now she did. For Allen, Xiaoqi represented that person in his heart, which was why he was even unwilling to allow anyone to use that same codename.

Xu Nuo’s gaze darkened as she watched Allen continue to drink, and she spoke softly, "Allen, I am Xiaoqi."

Through his drunken haze, Allen seemed to see Shen Qinglan standing right in front of him, gently calling his name with a tender voice. He smiled warmly and intimately, "Xiaoqi, come here," he reached out a hand.

Xu Nuo, looking at the hand stretched before her, her eyes filled with longing, slowly placed her own hand in his. With a pull from Allen, Xu Nuo fell onto the bed, and then Allen’s face appeared right in front of her, closer than ever before.

"Xiaoqi?" Allen called out.

A slight pain pierced Xu Nuo’s heart; she closed her eyes, "I am Xiaoqi."

Allen’s kiss landed on her lips, "Xiaoqi, I miss you so much."

Xu Nuo closed her eyes in agony, holding Allen tightly. What did it matter if she was just a replacement? As long as she could be with Allen, she was willing to be anything.

...

"Get out." The next morning, Allen’s furious voice echoed from his room.

Xu Nuo was kicked under the bed by Allen, her forehead slamming against the bedside table with a muffled groan. But she had no chance to cry out in pain as she hurriedly scrambled to her feet, "Master."

She wore no clothes on her body, covered all over in marks of passion. Even a fool would know what had happened last night. Allen’s gaze was dark and ominous, "Get out, and don’t make me tell you twice."

Full of bitterness, Xu Nuo bowed her head, not daring to look at Allen. She picked up the clothes from the floor, put them on, and left Allen’s room. Allen rose from the bed expressionlessly, naked, and headed straight to the bathroom. Coming out, he saw the messy bedding and a faint smell of hormones lingering in the air, which only thickened the frost in his eyes.

"Replace everything in this room," he commanded coldly, addressing the housekeeper who had just entered.

The housekeeper had come in because he had seen Xu Nuo leaving Allen’s room early in the morning. Understanding the scene before him, he responded with an acknowledgment and left. In a moment, he returned with several people, instructing them to first replace the bed in the room. When everything was nearly done, he turned to Allen and asked, "Should we replace the painting on the wall as well?"

"No need, now leave," Allen said, his gaze settling on the painting, the frost in his eyes beginning to melt.

Once he was alone in the room, he carefully took down the painting, opened the safe, and retrieved a photo album. But as soon as he began flipping through it, rage overtook Allen because somebody had tampered with his possessions. He quickly checked the rest of his items; everything that should be there was. But his heart felt no relief.

The housekeeper had barely reached the downstairs when Allen summoned him back.

"Tell me, who has been in my room while I was away?" Allen’s voice was icy cold, devoid of any warmth.

The housekeeper felt a chill, "Besides the maid who cleans, only me and Dr. Peter have been in. Dr. Peter came to take a book, but he left shortly after."

"No one else?"

"That’s right, no one else."

Allen’s demeanor didn’t soften at the housekeeper’s words. He waved the man away, "Go."

Once alone again, Allen donned a pair of gloves and took out items from the safe, laying them out on the table. He sprayed a reagent from a drawer onto these items, and soon, a series of fingerprints became visible on their surfaces—clearly belonging to two different people, stirring a tempest in Allen’s eyes.

He took an impression of the unfamiliar set of fingerprints and carefully replaced each item. Calling the housekeeper back, he commanded, "Find out to whom these fingerprints belong." Their internal database contained the fingerprint information of every individual.

The housekeeper took the impression and left, returning shortly after, "They belong to Xu Nuo."

Allen laughed—a beautiful laugh that sent shivers down the spine of the housekeeper nearby. His expressionless face harbored a trace of chill, realizing that Xu Nuo had done something to infuriate Allen.

After Xu Nuo finished bathing and was about to lie down to rest, her door was flung open. Two men entered, grabbed her arms, and tried to take her away. She attempted to struggle, but one of the men spoke coldly, "The boss wants to see you."

Immediately, Xu Nuo ceased her resistance and followed them to a dungeon. Seeing the icy Allen seated there, a terrible premonition welled up inside her. Standing before Allen, she bowed her head, "Master."

Allen chuckled with a sound that expanded the unease in Xu Nuo’s heart. As her panic reached its peak, Allen finally spoke, "Xu Nuo, I truly underestimated you. To think you’d dare to steal from my room. Very good, very good. My teachings weren’t wasted on you."

Xu Nuo’s face turned pale.

**************

Beijing Fu Family.

Shen Qinglan observed Fu Hengyi, who had been distracted since his return. When he once again mixed up the colors, she couldn’t help but ask, "What are you thinking about?"

Fu Hengyi was brought back to the present by Shen Qinglan’s voice. Upon hearing her question, he chuckled, "Just thinking about which development project to undertake."

Shen Qinglan was aware that Fu Hengyi had given a plan to Han Yi; after all, she had been the first to see it. But she was certain that Fu Hengyi hadn’t just been contemplating that.

"Fu Hengyi, you’re not telling me the truth," Shen Qinglan stated.

With a wry smile, Fu Hengyi realized he was increasingly unable to hide his emotions from Shen Qinglan. After a moment, he decided to disclose that Shen Qian already knew about her past.

Shen Qinglan’s expression remained calm, but her eyes roiled with emotion. Suddenly, she understood Shen Qian’s unusual behavior that morning, "How did he find out?"

Fu Hengyi explained that someone had anonymously mailed the information, which surprised Shen Qinglan. She hadn’t expected that what she thought had been destroyed could still exist, and in the form of hard copies no less.

"Alan," Shen Qinglan murmured the name, her eyes filled with a deadly chill.

Fu Hengyi took Shen Qinglan’s hand, "Don’t worry."

But Shen Qinglan couldn’t help worrying—not about her own exposure, but the domino effect that could follow. Right now, only Shen Qian knew, but what if the crazed Allen decided to leak the information to others?

Allen was unhinged—she had to consider this possibility. Now, events were spiraling beyond her control.

"Qinglan, look at me," Fu Hengyi said softly.

Shen Qinglan gazed at him quietly and he spoke tenderly, "No matter what happens, you must not think of leaving me. I know what you’re worried about, let me handle these issues. Qinglan, all you have to do is stay by my side, without a worry."

Shen Qinglan was momentarily taken aback. Fu Hengyi’s smile was gentle, "No matter what, I’ll be with you."

"Fu Hengyi."

"Don’t even think of saying thank you. We don’t need that between us."

Shen Qinglan smiled and nodded, "Alright."

She didn’t continue painting, but set down her brush and left the studio with Fu Hengyi. As she thought about whether to call Jin Enxi, Yan Anbang’s call came through.

Seeing the name on her phone screen, Shen Qinglan pressed the answer button.

"I’m in Beijing right now, and I want to meet you," Yan Anbang got straight to the point.

Shen Qinglan glanced at Fu Hengyi and reported the address of her tea house. Knowing that she was going to meet Yan Anbang and feeling worried, Fu Hengyi heard Shen Qinglan reassure him, "Yan Anbang isn’t a dangerous person. I think he must have found something. I’ll have Enxi accompany me, don’t worry."

Fu Hengyi knew Jin Enxi would come along, so he agreed.

When Shen Qinglan arrived at the teahouse, Yan Anbang was already there.

"I’ve kept you waiting," Shen Qinglan said.

Yan Anbang glanced at Jin Enxi. Shen Qinglan said in a calm voice, "Enxi is trustworthy. Speak frankly."

"I went to investigate Qin Yan," Yan Anbang said. "Qin Yan really is my friend’s cousin, but she’s not the Qin Yan I knew. The real Qin Yan disappeared over twenty years ago, and her family moved away from their original residence."

Shen Qinglan wasn’t surprised by this result at all because, after returning from Nancheng last time, Jin Enxi had already conducted an investigation and the findings matched Yan Anbang’s, suggesting he had seriously looked into the matter.

Seeing that Shen Qinglan’s expression was unchanged, Yan Anbang asked, "Did you already know?"

"I knew a bit earlier than you did. What I’m curious about is why your friend couldn’t recognize his own cousin?" This was the most surprising thing Shen Qinglan noted in the information.

Yan Anbang had considered this question too. "The two Qin Yans looked somewhat alike, and my friend didn’t have much contact with relatives in the countryside, to the extent that it had been several years since they’d last met."

That explanation seemed plausible. It appeared that Qin Yan must have gone through great lengths to get close to Yan Anbang. As for what happened to the real Qin Yan, the prospects were probably bleak because, after all, the dead keep secrets best in this world.

"Why would Qin Yan go after you? Or rather, why would you and my father attract the attention of Qin Yan?" Shen Qinglan voiced her doubt.

Yan Anbang looked equally puzzled. "I don’t know. I’m certain it was my first time meeting Qin Yan, and I’d never had any interaction with her before. As for your father, I’m not too clear on that matter. Although we once served in the same military unit, we left the unit after completing the last mission and then went our separate ways, each returning to our hometown to develop, without keeping in touch over the years."

Yan Anbang was now being completely open and honest with Shen Qinglan.

Shen Qinglan’s gaze sharpened slightly. "The last mission? Can you tell me about it?"

The mention of that incident brought a flash of pain in Yan Anbang’s eyes, and he forced a smile, "There’s nothing that can’t be said—it’s been more than twenty years. Back then, the special forces unit that your father and I served in was different in nature from regular special forces. This, your husband understands even better."

Shen Qinglan understood. Every country has things that can’t be put on display and matters that ordinary people must not know. There always needs to be someone to take on those tasks, a reality that has not changed through any period of history, despite living in a highly advanced civilized society.

And it was people like Fu Hengyi who were specifically tasked with resolving those unmentionable issues.

Yan Anbang continued, "We often had to carry out various dangerous missions, each one potentially being the last, and even in sacrifice, we couldn’t be honored with a grand memorial service like police officers, allowing people to remember us. For people like us, even in death, only those inside would know and remember your merits. In our very last mission, of the hundred men from our two squads, only four returned."

Shen Qinglan’s expression changed; she could imagine the severity of the circumstances of that sacrifice, even if Yan Anbang said nothing.

"Back then, a mercenary group was active near the border, similar to the previous BK. Everyone inside was ruthless, and they even slaughtered a town’s people just to satisfy their own twisted pleasure, using extremely cruel methods. Our mission was to exterminate them."

It was a devastating battle because their weapons and equipment couldn’t match the others’ advanced technology, meaning they took a heavy toll. Considering it was one of the world’s notorious mercenary groups, its members were certainly formidable. The battle raged on for seven days and nights; both he and Shen Qian, who were captains at the time, led their men, watching as comrades fell in battle, one after another, in front of them, losing their lives. At that point, both Yan Anbang and Shen Qian were nearly driven to madness.

In the end, it was him and Shen Qian who joined forces to take down the head of that organization, and only then could the battle be considered over.

"What’s the name of that organization?" A bad premonition faintly grew in Shen Qinglan’s heart.

Yan Anbang uttered a name, and Shen Qinglan’s composed face finally changed.

"Do you know this organization?" Yan Anbang asked.

Shen Qinglan nodded slowly, "Originally, Qin Mu and I were taken to this organization."

Yan Anbang stared at her intently, "You’re saying Qin Mu entered this organization?"

"Yes."

"That’s impossible. The head of that organization was killed by us, dead beyond dead, and most of its members were wiped out. How could such a thing happen again?" Yan Anbang couldn’t believe it as this was the organization he had personally destroyed. Now someone was telling him that it was never eradicated, and even his daughter had died there.

"That leader, was his name Carl?" Shen Qinglan inquired, recalling the name just then. Ever since she had arrived at Devil Base, the organization’s leader had been Allen; the only reason she knew about the previous leader named Carl was due to a fortuitous coincidence. If it hadn’t been for Yan Anbang mentioning it today, she would have nearly forgotten it entirely.

Yan Anbang was someone who would never forget that name. He nodded, "Yes." It was because of this man that he had lost his brother.

"Carl has a son named Allen, the new leader of that organization, and also the instructor for Qin Mu and me," Shen Qinglan said, "What you called eradicating was merely weakening the organization’s power, pushing them from the public eye into the shadows." In reality, they had only changed their name, but since Allen didn’t share his father’s specific proclivities, the organization didn’t gain notoriety. Instead, the terror and dread arose anew because the assassins they trained were formidable and undefeated.

Yan Anbang’s expression darkened, "So, your and Mumu’s disappearance was this organization taking revenge against your father and me? But what does Qin Yan have to do with all this? Could Qin Yan be a member of this organization?"

Shen Qinglan shook her head. She was temporarily clueless about this matter. While she suspected that Qin Yan was Mrs. Jin, and Mrs. Jin had a considerable connection to Allen, she was unclear about the exact nature of their relationship, and whether Qin Yan and Mrs. Jin were indeed the same person remained unknown to her.

Seeing this, Yan Anbang didn’t know what to say. If Qin Yan were truly from that organization, wouldn’t it be simpler to directly target him and Shen Qian for death? He believed that without any defenses, the success rate would be very high.

"So, was the incident with Ya Xi also caused by Qin Yan?" Yan Anbang’s voice was hoarse as he spoke, his gaze icy.

"I’m not sure, but the incident with Ya Xi is related to Mrs. Jin. The people from BK took Ya Xi; their initial target was me. They kidnapped Ya Xi and Yu Xiaoxuan to force me into a trade. Once there, they planned to release Ya Xi and Yu Xiaoxuan but at the last moment, someone received a call, and then they took Ya Xi away as well," Shen Qinglan recounted everything that had happened back then to Yan Anbang.

Yan Anbang’s eyes reddened as he looked steadily at Shen Qinglan, "Why didn’t you explain at the time?"

"I had no evidence," Shen Qinglan said. She hadn’t even thought to suspect Qin Yan at the time—the woman concealed her true self too well. Who would have thought a woman who appeared so gentle and frail, a mother no less, would send her own daughter to Hell?

She also hadn’t anticipated that over twenty years ago, the Shen Family and Yan Family were already entangled with Devil Base.

"Did the death of Fu Hengyi’s parents during a mission have anything to do with this?" Shen Qinglan suddenly asked.

Yan Anbang was slightly taken aback, then shook his head, "Fu Hengyi’s father wasn’t part of our unit."

So it meant that their deaths were not related to that operation.

"Where is the headquarters of that base?" the Yan’an Gang asked. If Qin Yan really was a person from that organization, she might have already returned by now. Just find their headquarters, and then we can find Qin Yan.

"I’m not sure, the original headquarters was destroyed by me and my friend. All the documents are gone without a trace, and this new one was established by Allen later." As Shen Qinglan spoke, she paused briefly. She suddenly remembered that, during the destruction of that organization, although they had almost lost their lives, the process was much smoother than they had anticipated. Could it be that Allen had known in advance that they would do this and had prepared early on?

Thinking of this possibility, Shen Qinglan shuddered. If this was really the case, then that fierce battle for freedom was nothing but a conspiracy. Allen might have purposely done this to force her back to the Shen Family and at the right time expose her identity and drag the Shen Family down with her.

Shen Qinglan’s eyes were as deep as a pool. Yan Anbang stared at her steadily, "Do you know something?"

Shen Qinglan shook her head, "According to seniority, you are my elder, and I should call you Uncle Yan. Now I want to ask you something, did you bring the military exercise plans home and show them to Qin Yan?"

"No..." Yan Anbang instinctively wanted to deny it but caught himself when he suddenly remembered that one night when he was working in his study, Qin Yan had come in and was very enthusiastic. With this thought, a cold sweat broke out on Yan Anbang’s forehead.

Shen Qinglan wore an expression that said ’as expected’. Initially, people suspected there was a mole, but after much investigation, no one was found. She suspected that whoever it was had leaked the information unintentionally.

Yan Anbang’s hands trembled slightly. If it truly was because of him that military secrets had been leaked, resulting in the death of so many innocent soldiers, Yan Anbang could not even bear to think of the consequences.

"Is there a way to find Qin Yan?" Yan Anbang asked. He had to find Qin Yan and ask her if all the plots and schemes she executed over the years, pushing him to the brink of destruction, were actually her doing and just for revenge?

"I don’t know, I’m also looking for her, and there’s no news yet, but she will definitely come back." Shen Qinglan was absolutely certain of this.

After leaving the teahouse, Shen Qinglan immediately called Shen Qian; she wanted to see him.

Shen Qian was about to return to the army but changed course to meet Shen Qinglan as soon as he heard she wanted to see him. Father and daughter sat in the car.

The car was silent. Shen Qinglan was thinking about how to begin, and Shen Qian didn’t know how to face his daughter.

"Daddy."

"Qinglan."

Both spoke at the same time, exchanging glances before Shen Qian gave a gentle smile, "Qinglan, you go first."

Shen Qinglan pursed her lips and handed her phone to Shen Qian, "Dad, do you recognize this woman?"

Shen Qian took a careful look and shook his head, "I’ve never seen her before. What’s the matter with this woman?"

Shen Qinglan briefly explained the situation with the Yan Family to Shen Qian, who was shocked, "The Yan Family was torn apart over one woman, resulting in the loss of family and prosperity?" And Yan Anbang suffered disgrace because of her.

She also mentioned the story from over twenty years ago that Yan Anbang had shared with her, "Dad, are you sure you’ve never seen this person?"

"No." Shen Qian shook his head. In order to completely capture Carl, he had gone undercover, but during those three months, he had never seen this woman with Carl, though he had seen many others.

"Could it be plastic surgery?" Shen Qian guessed.

Shen Qinglan shook her head. This possibility had already been denied by Eden; Qin Yan’s face was all natural, untouched by any surgeon’s knife.

Qinglan found no clues from Shen Qian either, and a wave of frustration welled up inside her.

"Qinglan, Daddy, I’m sorry for failing you," Shen Qian said in a low voice.

Shen Qinglan was taken aback, and then spoke, "There’s no need for that, Dad. I never blamed you for what happened all those years ago."

"No, it’s Daddy’s fault. If I could have found you sooner back then, none of this would have happened." At least his daughter wouldn’t have had to suffer through that inhumane ordeal. To this day, he could not imagine how the young Shen Qinglan had managed to survive in such an environment and grow into the outstanding person she was now.

"Since it was all premeditated, they naturally wouldn’t let you find me easily," Shen Qinglan said evenly. She had already come to terms with the matter a long time ago. If she had harbored any resentment at first, it had now been replaced by numbness over time, on top of the increasingly clear truths unfolding, leaving no room for blame.

"Dad, the person orchestrating all of this behind the scenes is like a time bomb, ready to explode at any moment. If the Shen Family were to be implicated because of it, I..." Shen Qinglan was about to say that she could leave the Shen Family right now and cut ties with them, but Shen Qian interrupted her.

"Qinglan, the Shen Family is your home, your forever home. We are a family, and no matter what, Daddy will protect you." Shen Qian’s words were resolute. He had already made up his mind — if Shen Qinglan’s identity were to be exposed to those above, he would use his own military merits to atone for her. Over the years, even though Shen Qian had always held the position of Chief of Staff, he had also earned his share of commendations.

"Dad."

"Qinglan, no more words. Daddy only has one request for you — don’t tell your mother or your grandfather the truth about what happened all those years ago. Your mother’s health can’t withstand that kind of shock, and your grandfather is getting on in years." The old gentleman treasured Shen Qinglan deeply; finding out that the granddaughter he cradled in his hands had endured so much suffering might just be too much for him. And with Chu Yunrong’s health just having stabilized, looking as though there was nothing wrong anymore, he did not wish for his wife to go through it all again.

Shen Qinglan smiled faintly, "I never planned to tell Grandpa or Mom."

With everything out in the open, both Shen Qinglan and Shen Qian felt much relief in their hearts. After Shen Qian escorted Shen Qinglan back home, he left for the military base.

Fu Hengyi noticed the relaxed look between Shen Qinglan’s brows and raised his own, "You cleared things up with Dad?"

Shen Qinglan nodded, "Yes, I cleared things up." Fu Hengyi was pleased.

Before going to sleep that night, Shen Qinglan repeated to Fu Hengyi the conversation she had with Yan Anbang that day, "What do you think the relationship between Qin Yan and Carl is?"

Fu Hengyi, who knew nothing of the story, frowned deeply, "Didn’t Allen have any siblings?"

"I’m not sure. She never considered that angle. If Qin Yan is Carl’s daughter, then the daughter seeking revenge for her father, meticulously plotting all this, is a possibility. But thinking of Xu Nuo," she shook her head. "They can’t be siblings. If they were, Qin Yan wouldn’t allow Xu Nuo to stay by Allen’s side."

Fu Hengyi was merely speculating. They would only be able to unravel the mystery of Qin Yan, this enigmatic woman, when she appeared again. Otherwise, it was likely they wouldn’t catch any leads for the time being.

***********

In the dungeons of a castle in Country Y.

Qin Yan looked at Xu Nuo struggling for breath on the floor in the adjacent room, her gaze icy, "I call you useless, and you truly are. You can’t even handle such a trivial task without getting caught. I really have to wonder, did Allen ever seriously train you? And how did you ever survive those trials and missions?"