In just a brief mont, Guan Xia found herself lost in thought.
She recalled the expression on ng Lan’s face when she suggested they go hiking and camping together. She rembered her own surprise at seeing so many of ng Lan’s friends, and the way ng Lan had seed hesitant, as if holding sothing back throughout their journey.
Because of their long-standing friendship—even after nearly four years apart—Guan Xia wanted to trust ng Lan. But given the suspicious details she had uncovered, she couldn’t help but maintain a cautious distance, even as she tried to remain sincere.
Agreeing to the camping trip was partly out of nostalgia for their past bond, but also because their recent conversations had been rushed, leaving her no opportunity to probe or observe. Spending days together might force ng Lan to drop her guard, revealing glimpses of her true self to her once-closest friend. Maybe then, Guan Xia could uncover sothing.
Though she had no proof, the mory of that unidentified woman who had intervened when ng Lan attempted suicide still gnawed at her. During idle monts, Guan Xia couldn’t shake the suspicion that the woman’s appearance hadn’t been a coincidence.
Now, it seed her doubts had been justified. What she hadn’t anticipated, however, was how extre ng Lan’s thods would be.
What was the point of bringing a sister she never wanted to acknowledge into her life? And that murderer—was it really just an accident?
Was the middle-aged woman who stopped ng Lan from killing herself really connected to that organization? But if that group claid to uphold justice and punish evil, how could one of its mbers be the perpetrator of the inhumane, sociopathic massacre known as Case 0217? Had their assumptions about the organization been completely wrong?
The questions multiplying in Guan Xia’s mind darkened her expression, her gaze turning icy as she studied ng Lan, as if seeing her for the first ti.
ng Lan knew Guan Xia well. One look at her face and eyes told her everything. Frantic, she stepped forward, explaining, “Guan Xia, I swear to you, it was all a coincidence. I have no idea why she showed up here, but I never contacted her privately. If you don’t believe , check for yourself.”
Fumbling in her pocket, ng Lan pulled out her phone and held it out. “I know chat logs and call records can be deleted, but I’m sure soone like you has ways to recover the data. Once we’re off the mountain, I’ll hand over all my devices. You can keep them until you’ve finished investigating.”
Guan Xia remained silent, still watching ng Lan, considering whether this was an opportunity to press for answers.
Pang Le suddenly moved forward, standing beside Guan Xia as she faced ng Lan. Without exchanging a word, the two seed to share the sa thought. Pang Le took the phone with a smirk. “Devices don’t prove anything. You’re rich enough to have multiple phones. Maybe all your conversations happened on another one?”
Guan Xia played along, eyeing ng Lan skeptically.
She wasn’t sure if ng Lan’s distress was genuine, but judging by her expression, she did seem flustered. ng Lan raised her voice instinctively before rembering the strangers nearby and lowering it again. “Don’t you have friends in the police? Investigating soone thoroughly shouldn’t be hard. Go ahead—I’ll cooperate. This camping trip is already tied to a case anyway, so you’ve got every reason to look into .”
Guan Xia and Pang Le exchanged a glance. It was clear they were both thinking of the information they’d uncovered back in Linshan City.
Guan Xia had countless questions. What had the middle-aged woman said to ng Lan the night she tried to take her own life? How had she shaken off Luo Deye? And was that life-risking murder plan really sothing she orchestrated alone?
But this wasn’t the ti or place. After a mont’s hesitation, Guan Xia pulled ng Lan aside and whispered, “Is there sothing you’ve been aning to tell about what happened during those years we were apart? I noticed it from the start—you kept looking at like you wanted to say sothing but held back. Or… was this camping trip not your idea? Did soone ask you to invite ?”
Sothing in her words struck a nerve. ng Lan’s face paled, and she looked almost guilty, stamring, “You noticed? I thought you seed off this whole ti, and your friend’s been speaking in riddles.”
Guan Xia’s pulse quickened, but sothing about ng Lan’s reaction felt wrong—not what she’d expected at all.
If she’d truly uncovered a deeply hidden secret, shouldn’t ng Lan be panicked? Terrified? Why was she acting so strangely?
Pang Le frowned, sensing the sa dissonance.
Under their scrutinizing gazes, ng Lan glanced around before lowering her voice further. “I have been wanting to reconnect with you. I even planned to ask you out, but work kept too busy. Then General Manager Wu approached about a private investnt, and I finally had so breathing room. When we signed the contract recently, we had dinner afterward, and he started talking about you. I can’t rember his exact words—they were kind of formal—but he was full of praise. Maybe the matron at the orphanage told him sothing about you? He seed really impressed, said it was fate that we ca from the sa place, and that we should cherish it. He ntioned wanting to see you again since the training center ribbon-cutting, but he’s been swamped, and with no professional overlap, he never got the chance. Since we’re friends now, he asked to reach out, so the three of us could et up when he has ti.”
Guan Xia blinked, exchanging a baffled look with Pang Le.
“General Manager Wu?” Guan Xia said hesitantly. “He’s a big-shot executive. Why would he admire ? Compared to him, what I do is nothing. Are you sure you didn’t misunderstand?”
“No misunderstanding,” ng Lan insisted. “Rember that call we had when you were in Jianyang City?”
Guan Xia nodded. Of course she rembered—she’d spent days feeling paranoid after sensing soone watching her but finding no one.
ng Lan continued, “That call was weird from the start. He told he’d spotted you from his car as he was leaving a parking lot, and you looked familiar. I kept thinking—how deeply must you have left an impression for him to recognize you in the dark with just a glance? And then he ca to to confirm it was you.”
Guan Xia studied ng Lan’s expression intently. “What else?”
ng Lan said, "Also, I always feel his motives aren’t that pure."
She glanced around again and lowered her voice. "Didn’t I tell you before? My sister is a genuine corporate tycoon. She always taught that in business, you should focus on business—using emotions for money is an insult to money. A rchant’s priority is profit. But look at General Manager Wu—the way he collaborates with people is practically like charity."
ng Lan continued, "You’re fine—your comic is at least a sowhat famous IP. Signing you wouldn’t be a loss; it’s mutually beneficial. But look at my company. It might seem impressive on the surface, but inside, it’s already rotten. When I first inherited it, I even considered selling my shares to cash out. But my sister convinced that if I wanted my own career, I could use this company as practice. If I couldn’t revive it, I could still cash out and start over—at least I’d have so managent experience. That’s why I held on. Then, luckily, I t General Manager Wu, and that’s how I saved the company."
Frowning, ng Lan added, "Even though I accepted his investnt, I keep wondering—what’s in it for him? Is it really just because we’re from the sa orphanage? But there are so many people from our orphanage—he doesn’t treat everyone like this. I’ve tried probing, but I got nothing. So I’m left overthinking."
Guan Xia looked at her skeptically. "You’ve been hesitating this whole trip—was this what you wanted to tell ?"
ng Lan nodded.
Guan Xia stared at her. "That’s it? Nothing else?"
ng Lan hesitated. "What else? What do you an?"
Guan Xia thought for a mont before speaking bluntly. "In the three-plus years we’ve been apart, is there really nothing else you need to tell ?"
ng Lan fell silent, her head lowered as if lost in thought.
Just as Guan Xia assud ng Lan wouldn’t speak and was about to press further, ng Lan suddenly looked up, her expression complicated as she bit her lip and whispered, "There are so things I’ve been debating whether to tell you. I’ve had suspicions, but no proof, no connections to investigate. I didn’t want to burden you. But seeing you surrounded by so many friends now, I feel relieved. Let’s wait until we’re off the mountain. I’ll tell you everything then. Honestly, I’ve been on edge for so long with no one to confide in. If I keep holding it in, I think I’ll go crazy."
ng Lan’s reaction and words caught Guan Xia off guard again. Even though ng Lan hadn’t said anything concrete, Guan Xia had a vague sense of what she ant.
Glancing back at Xu Nian and the others—who, despite tending to the rescued group, kept looking their way—Guan Xia didn’t push further. Still, she couldn’t resist asking one more question. "Her being here—it’s really just a coincidence, not your doing?"
ng Lan blinked in confusion before realizing what Guan Xia ant. She quickly raised her hand as if swearing. "I swear on my future wealth—it wasn’t . If I’m lying, may I be broke for the rest of my life."
Guan Xia remained half-convinced but couldn’t help laughing at ng Lan’s dramatic vow. She rolled her eyes and moved to the farthest corner from the girl, deliberately turning her back to avoid seeing her.
Pang Le and ng Lan naturally sat on either side of Guan Xia. Zhong Xiaoyu, who had been watching curiously, finally scurried over and sat across from Guan Xia after their conversation ended. She peeked at Guan Xia’s expression before asking in a hushed voice, "Did I… say sothing wrong earlier? That girl…"
She craned her neck to look at the girl before continuing, "Her resemblance to Guan Xia—it’s not a coincidence?"
Before Guan Xia could react, Pang Le pinched Zhong Xiaoyu’s shoulder in warning, applying a bit more force than necessary.
Zhong Xiaoyu winced and nodded hastily. "Okay, okay, I get it. I won’t ask."
Only then did Pang Le let go. Zhong Xiaoyu rubbed her shoulder and muttered, "You really went all out, huh?"
Guan Xia turned back and noticed that the rescued people, though still dazed, were gradually regaining clarity in their eyes after resting. She lowered her voice and said, "It’s not that it’s a secret—just not the right ti. We’ll talk after we get back."
Zhong Xiaoyu gave an OK sign, casually distributing snacks while subtly observing the others.
Eating to conserve energy, the group waited in the cave for another half hour before reinforcents finally arrived.
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