Division Commander Jiang’s eyes were filled with gratitude as he looked at Shen Linzhou. Without their help, it would have been impossible to capture all four spies. If even one had escaped, his daughter’s situation would have become extremely dangerous. They had had no other choice—the two blueprints were simply too important.
No one knew that from the moment his daughter boarded the train, every second had been an agony for him. But his daughter had said that her mother was a hero, so she could not back down. No one was more suited to this mission than her. Although he was worried, he was also proud of his daughter.
“There’s no need to go to the hospital. It’s only a minor wound; I can treat it myself. I’m with the Central China Military Region. My name is Shen Linzhou. This man may be Old Kai, the spy we’ve been investigating. We have extensive records on him in our military region, and we’ll cooperate with you in carrying out the investigation.”
Shen Linzhou was willing to risk his life for a mission, but he would never give up the credit. Once today’s events were reported to the Central China Military Region, he would undoubtedly receive a reward. If he wanted to compete for the position of regimental commander, he had to produce truly outstanding military achievements.
Deputy Regimental Commander Jiang nodded in satisfaction.
“Good. For tonight, stay at the military guesthouse and get a good rest. You can go to the military region tomorrow.”
Xiao Mandong and the others took their luggage and went with the military vehicle to the military guesthouse.
When they arrived, Jiang Yue refused to go home no matter what. She insisted on staying at the guesthouse to play with Xiao Manxue, so Deputy Division Commander Jiang could only give in.
The moment Deputy Division Commander Jiang left, Jiang Yue latched onto Xiao Mandong.
“Tell me, how did you make that surgical knife appear? I saw it clearly. You didn’t take it from your pocket, and you didn’t pull it out of your sleeve either. Teach me!”
“Why should I tell you? Who are you, anyway? What does it have to do with you?”
Xiao Mandong’s heart skipped a beat. She had never expected Jiang Yue to notice. The situation had been urgent, and she had been afraid that the female spy would recover and overpower her, so she had acted without thinking. Now she regretted being so careless. She imitated Jiang Yue’s tone and snapped back at her, hoping to divert her attention.
Jiang Yue assumed that Xiao Mandong was angry because of what she had said and was refusing to tell her for that reason. She decided to explain herself.
“Big Sis, I only said those things to make the spy trust me. You’re not really going to be that petty, are you? You’ll understand, won’t you?”
Just then, the guesthouse attendant knocked on the door.
“May I ask who is Comrade Xiao Mandong? Several people outside are looking for you. They say they’re your uncle and aunt.”
“Okay, I understand. Thank you.”
Xiao Mandong had not expected the Wang family to find her so quickly. They must truly be desperate.
Xiao Mandong and Xiao Manxue went together to the entrance of the guesthouse, where they saw that the entire Wang family had arrived.
Wang Fugui looked disheveled and weather-beaten, with bloodshot eyes.
If Xiao Zhenyu had not seen Xiao Mandong and the others get into the military jeep and followed them all the way, he would never have known that they were staying at the military guesthouse.
“Xiao Mandong, what exactly are you trying to do? What have I, Wang Fugui, ever done to wrong you that you’re trying to drive me to ruin?”
Wang Fugui could not understand why Xiao Mandong hated their family so much. Families argued and quarreled all the time—how had things reached the point where she wanted to destroy his entire family?
“Since you asked, I’ll give you an answer. Xiao Zhenyu is a child of your Wang family, yet you had the Xiao family raise him for more than ten years. After the divorce, you still demanded three thousand yuan from us for him. I’m standing up for my father. Are you satisfied with that answer?”
“Do you really think I don’t know how kind my grandparents have been to Xiao Zhenyu? If they found out that they had worked so hard all these years to raise someone else’s child, do you think they could accept it?”
Xiao Zhenyu clenched his fists in fury. “Xiao Mandong, watch your mouth. I’ve called you my sister for more than ten years. Isn’t it too cruel for you to keep calling me someone else’s child?”
“Even if I’m not a member of the Xiao family, I still grew up with you. Does blood really matter that much?”
“Besides, I’m also a child of the Wang family. You have half of the Wang family’s blood in you too. It’s not as if we’re completely unrelated. Why are you so determined to hold on to this? The neighborhood office has already issued a notice ordering us to go to the countryside. Going to the countryside will be unbearable—what am I supposed to do?”
“Big Sis, I’ll be honest with you too. I really am not a child of the Xiao family. But no matter what my surname is, you’re still my sister. I’m begging you, please go and clarify things. I don’t want to go to the countryside. I don’t know how to farm.”
Xiao Zhenyu knew there was no point hiding it any longer. She had already made up her mind, so he might as well beg her now and hope that, for the sake of their past relationship, she would let the Wang family off.
“Since you’ve admitted it, things will be easier. I want to know where my biological younger brother is.”
Wang Lei, who was standing at the back, gripped the hem of his clothes tightly. His birthday was only a few days apart from Xiao Zhenyu’s, and many people had said that he did not look much like the Wang family.
More importantly, he had always felt that his parents and grandmother treated him poorly. He shared a room with his older brother. In winter, they made him sleep at the end of the kang bed, and in summer, they made him sleep at the head. Even though he was much taller than Wang Hao, his mother always said that younger brothers should wear their older brothers’ hand-me-downs, regardless of height, and that there had to be a proper order between older and younger siblings.
When he was little, he had already felt that his grandmother treated Xiao Zhenyu much better than she treated him. Whenever there was something tasty, she would lock it away and secretly take it out when Xiao Zhenyu came over. Back then, he had assumed it was because Xiao Zhenyu was good-looking, which was why his grandmother favored him.
But now, after hearing Xiao Zhenyu’s words and connecting them with everything that had happened in the past, Wang Lei suddenly saw the light.
Could it be that he was the one who had been switched at birth? Could he actually be the Xiao family’s child? If so, then he should have been the one enjoying the Xiao family’s comfortable life. Xiao Zhenyu had occupied his rightful place.
At that moment, Xiao Mandong’s gaze also fell on Wang Lei. He had a broad, flat face and small eyes—at a glance, he clearly did not look like a member of the Xiao family, nor did he resemble the Wang family.
But the shape of his brows and the expression in his eyes looked more and more like Zheng Chao’s. A bad feeling began to spread through Xiao Mandong’s heart.
Wang Fugui noticed where Xiao Mandong was looking and felt a chill run through him. Instinctively, he yanked Wang Lei behind him.
“Xiao Mandong, what happened between the older generation has nothing to do with you. You’re still a junior. Come with me to the factory and clarify everything. Say that you made it all up. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being rough with you.”
Right now, the most important thing was to get the facts clarified and protect his job.
“Wang Fugui, your son impersonated my younger brother and tricked my family out of our money. How can you say that has nothing to do with me?”
“The resources that should have belonged to my younger brother all ended up with your son. Of course you think it has nothing to do with you. But Xiao Zhenyu has been living well by taking what belonged to my younger brother. Why should he get away with that?”
Xiao Mandong’s words made Wang Lei’s heart clench.
That was right. Why should he?
If he was truly the Xiao family’s child, then all those resources should have belonged to him. Why had they all been given to Xiao Zhenyu?
Today, Wang Fugui was determined to take Xiao Mandong to the factory and force her to clarify everything. But Xiao Mandong acted as though she had nothing to lose, and her attitude drove Wang Fugui out of his mind with rage.
He immediately reached out to grab Xiao Mandong by the arm.
“Come on. We’ll deal with everything else later. First, come with me to the factory and help me sort out my situation!”
