Ye Wenjie and Red Coast's Past

Two days later, the airport arrivals hall.

Shi Qiang raised his head and spotted Yang Dong and Ding Yi amid the crowd.

Yang Dong wore a plain trench coat, her long hair simply tied behind her head, her face filled with unconcealable exhaustion.

Though Ding Yi still looked as flippant as ever beside her, the usual mockery was gone from his eyes.

There were no hugs, no words of concern.

Zhang Qi and Shi Qiang took their luggage, and the group silently headed toward the parking lot.

A black Audi A6L quietly merged into the evening rush-hour traffic.

Outside the window, city lights joined into a flowing river of brilliance. Reflections of neon signs flashed past the glass, illuminating Yang Dong's pale profile.

"Never would've guessed it. Your mom—she was actually the leader of those bastards."

Shi Qiang was the first to break the silence in the car.

"My mother was not that kind of person!"

Yang Dong's voice abruptly sharpened.

"Don't be so sure."

Shi Qiang snorted. Out of habit, he started reaching for a cigarette, then lowered his hand halfway through. "These days, you can know a person's face but never their heart."

"Enough. Take out the files."

Zhang Qi spoke quietly, but his words choked off whatever Shi Qiang had been about to say.

"Fine. Guess you're the boss now."

Shi Qiang muttered as he took a manila document envelope from the storage compartment in the front passenger seat. Its opening was tied with red string, and a bright-red "Top Secret" stamp was printed across it.

He turned around and handed the envelope to the back seat. "Give it back when you're done. If this thing goes missing, it'll be my head."

"What is this?"

Yang Dong stared at the envelope without reaching for it.

"This is