Lin Zihao gave a slight nod in greeting when he saw Lin Xiaoxiao.

Zhou Huai'an, however, set down the papers in his hand and looked at her. "Did you rent the place?"

Lin Xiaoxiao nodded, walking over to take a few gulps of water from his mug. "It's not far from here. Two rooms, five yuan a month. Each is over twenty square meters—pretty spacious."

As she spoke, she couldn't help glancing curiously at the papers in Zhou Huai'an's hand, wondering what news Lin Zihao had brought this time.

Noticing her interest, Zhou Huai'an handed them over. "It's some background information on Zhou Xiaoming."

Lin Xiaoxiao didn't hesitate. She took the papers and skimmed through them quickly. There was Zhou Xiaoming's personal history from childhood onward, along with a brief introduction to his wife, Hu Ling.

Lin Zihao continued, "Zhou Xiaoming's wife comes from a family with some influence in Beijing.

Her grandfather and Old Master Zhou are old comrades-in-arms. It's just that the younger generations of the Hu family haven't achieved much—very few standouts."

Zhou Huai'an felt that was enough. "I want to investigate everything related to Zhou Xiaocheng and Zhou Xiaoming from three years ago. Do you remember that time in Xiaozhai Village?"

Lin Zihao certainly remembered. It was when Zhou Huai'an had been seriously injured and was eventually forced to leave active duty. "You think there was a problem within our own ranks?"

Zhou Huai'an shook his head. "If my guess is correct, it was also Zhou Xiaoming! He and Zhou Xiaocheng were both near Xiaozhai Village back then. The time I was injured was only one day before Zhou Xiaocheng was killed."

If he and Zhou Xiaocheng had no connection, and Zhou Xiaoming didn't exist, it might all have been coincidence—bad luck against a stronger opponent.

But given their relationship, none of it could have been accidental. It was planned.

Lin Zihao frowned. "If that's true, then Zhou Xiaoming deserves to die."

Lin Xiaoxiao had a question. "So Zhou Xiaoming already knew about his origins back then? But why would he target Zhou Xiaocheng, who grew up with him? Zhou Xiaocheng didn't know anything. As long as you didn't exist, the secret would've been safe."

Zhou Huai'an closed his eyes briefly. "Because Zhou Xiaocheng knew the secret. That's why he had to silence him."

That was the only explanation that made sense.

Lin Xiaoxiao nearly cursed out loud. What a monster.

Zhou Huai'an looked at Lin Zihao. "I've already spoken with Lao Zhong. He'll put pressure on Zhang Zhongyi to contact Zhou Xiaoming. You keep working on drawing Zhou Xiaoming to Longbei."

Lin Zihao nodded. "Understood. You and your wife should be careful. A cornered animal is capable of anything."

After Lin Zihao left, Lin Xiaoxiao asked curiously, "Was Zhou Xiaoming really that bold? How could he manipulate things within the military? Did he have that much power?"

Zhou Huai'an shook his head. "Maybe someone helped him."

Back then, Zhou Xiaoming hadn't overthought it. He only knew that Zhou Xiaocheng knew the secret—that he wasn't really a Zhou. What would he do then?

In his panic, he decided to kill Zhou Xiaocheng and bury the secret forever.

But once you fire that shot, there's no turning back. Zhou Xiaoming was doomed to continue down this path of madness.

Having satisfied her curiosity, Lin Xiaoxiao sat on the edge of the bed and began massaging Zhou Huai'an's leg above the knee. His lower leg was in a cast, and without movement, circulation could become poor.

Zhou Huai'an shifted uncomfortably. "You don't have to. I can do it."

Lin Xiaoxiao gave him a look. "Do you even know how? Why are you so shy? It's not like I can take advantage of you in your current state. What are you afraid of?"

Zhou Huai'an chose not to respond, letting Lin Xiaoxiao continue her light, almost ticklish massage.

A tingling sensation traveled up his thigh, making his scalp prickle.

Completely unaware, Lin Xiaoxiao kept talking as she worked. "We'll move tomorrow morning. I'll come back at noon to tidy up after class. Your father leaves for Beijing in the afternoon. What should we have for lunch? How about dumplings?"

Zhou Huai'an's eyes were slightly red. He grunted in agreement.

Lin Xiaoxiao thought for a moment. "Where do you think Zhou Xiaocheng would be if he's still alive?"

As she spoke, her hand crept higher unconsciously. Zhou Huai'an caught it gently. "We'll look for him later. Don't you have class this afternoon? You should go rest for a bit."

Lin Xiaoxiao grinned and leaned closer. "Kiss me. If you kiss me, I won't be tired. I'll be full of energy for class."

Zhou Huai'an felt a headache coming on. He stared at her soft pink lips, feeling a stir of desire.His eyes darkened, and his throat moved slightly.

Lin Xiaoxiao leaned even closer. "There's no one here. Come on."

She puckered her lips and pushed toward him.

As if under a spell, Zhou Huai'an lowered his head and kissed her firmly.

Lin Xiaoxiao giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck and planting a loud kiss on his cheek.

"I'm easy to please. A kiss makes me happy. You should kiss me more often from now on."

Zhou Huai'an couldn't help but wonder: Where did Lin Xiaoxiao really come from? What kind of world did she live in?

Once she'd had her fun, Lin Xiaoxiao checked the time, gathered her things, and left for class.

She had assumed Li Yunlan and Zhou Zhennan would spend the afternoon with Zhou Huai'an, but instead, the couple went to the market. They bought pots, pans, bowls, utensils, bedsheets, curtains, and two comfortable folding chairs—essentially furnishing a new home for the young couple.

Li Yunlan felt it still wasn't enough. "Does Longbei get very hot in summer? Should we buy them a fan? Maybe we should get them a TV too. I think we still have a TV ticket at home."

Zhou Zhennan persuaded her otherwise. "Not yet. Huai'an and Xiaoxiao are only here temporarily. Besides, their place in the compound is too small anyway."

Li Yunlan wasn't satisfied. "What else can we give them?"

Zhou Zhennan thought for a moment. "A cassette recorder. I've seen Huai'an reading English books. He could use it to study with tapes. And Xiaoxiao is a young woman—I'm sure she'd enjoy listening to music. We can mail them some tapes from Beijing later."

Li Yunlan loved the idea. "Then let's get a recorder. Do you have the ticket with you? Let's go buy it now."...When Lin Xiaoxiao returned to the ward after class, she found it filled with new purchases. On the bedside table sat a brand-new cassette recorder—a real luxury item.

Li Yunlan pulled her over to see. "I wanted to buy a TV, but your father said a recorder would be more useful for you young people. You can use it for studying—play tapes and listen to the radio."

She couldn't help feeling a little sad. "Xiaocheng loved music too. He even played the guitar."

At the mention of the guitar, a clear image suddenly surfaced in Zhou Huai'an's mind...