Lin Xiaoxiao was absolutely certain that the person who had saved her was Zhou Huai'an.

Her eyes shone as she looked at him.

Zhou Huai'an had expected to find her in tears or trembling uncontrollably. After all, not being afraid of dead bodies was one thing; witnessing a violent death was another.

He never imagined that the Lin Xiaoxiao before him would have brilliantly bright eyes, filled with nothing but joy and relief at seeing him—completely devoid of fear.

Moved by a rare surge of emotion, he reached out and touched the top of her head. "Weren't you scared?"

Lin Xiaoxiao blinked. "Not really. I knew you would come to save me."

Although she'd had a moment of doubt, in the end, she remained certain that Zhou Huai'an would not abandon her.

Zhou Huai'an was deeply touched. As a man of few words, he didn't know what to say. He simply pressed his lips together and looked down at her, his gaze gentle.

In that critical moment earlier, he had been afraid he would fail again—that his vision would blur with memories of gore, preventing him from seeing the target clearly.

But at the most crucial instant, he saw her. He saw Lin Xiaoxiao, calm and composed, seemingly even reasoning with her captor.

After getting the cut on her neck bandaged, Lin Xiaoxiao's first action upon returning to the guesthouse was to wrap a plastic bag around her neck and take a thorough shower. She scrubbed hard, muttering about the absurdity of her daily misfortunes.

When she returned to the room after her shower, both Lü Zhigang and Zhou Huai'an were there.

Lü Zhigang gave her a thumbs-up. "Sis-in-law, that was impressive. Most men wouldn't have that kind of nerve."

Lin Xiaoxiao found that odd. "What's so special about men? Plenty of them are cowards."

Lü Zhigang nodded repeatedly. "You're right, you're right. Sis-in-law, you're a real heroine."

Lin Xiaoxiao chuckled. "No need to flatter me. I'm just a little braver than most, that's all. I'm no hero."

Lü Zhigang was amazed. A little braver? She was bolder than half the country.

Knowing what Lin Xiaoxiao was curious about, Zhou Huai'an said, "Sit down first. Lü Zhigang saw the man who looks like Zhou Chang'an."

Lin Xiaoxiao immediately put her things down and sat. "It was really him? Where did you see him?"

Lü Zhigang sounded regretful. "I was this close to catching him. He was on the drum tower, trying to interfere with Old Zhou's shot. I almost caught up, but he got away."

Lin Xiaoxiao clapped her hands excitedly. "That confirms it! It has to be him."

Then she shared her theory with Lü Zhigang and Zhou Huai'an. "Haven't you noticed Zhou Huai'an doesn't look like his family? The other three all resemble each other. What if this man who looks like Zhou Chang'an is actually Wang Fenglan's real son?"

Lü Zhigang listened as if hearing a fascinating story. "Go on."

Lin Xiaoxiao laid it out simply. "Years ago, Wang Fenglan swapped her own child with Zhou Huai'an. Say Zhou Huai'an's biological parents were well-off. Wang Fenglan grew envious and switched the babies so her own son could live a privileged life, leaving the real heir to be mistreated in her home."

Lü Zhigang was captivated, and it almost made sense. "That could really be it."

Lin Xiaoxiao applied every "switched at birth" trope she'd ever encountered to Zhou Huai'an's situation, and it fit perfectly. The more she spoke, the more convinced she became. "Why else would Wang Fenglan treat Zhou Huai'an so poorly? If food was scarce, why not abandon Zhou Xiaoli? In the countryside, daughters marry out anyway."

"Also, Zhou Chang'an has type AB blood. Wang Fenglan is type B. Zhou Huai'an is type O. If Zhou Mancang is type AB, then Zhou Huai'an can't possibly be their biological child."

Lü Zhigang was fascinated. "You can tell from that? Could it really be true?"

After Lin Xiaoxiao's analysis, it did sound plausible.

Zhou Huai'an remained silent. He knew Zhou Mancang had type AB blood—the village had organized a group blood test years ago to donate for an injured villager.

Lü Zhigang grew curious again. "Then what's this guy's motive? Kill Zhou Huai'an so the truth never comes out?"

Lin Xiaoxiao wasn't sure. "Maybe there's some 'throne' to inherit, and he's afraid Zhou Huai'an will come back to claim it?"

Surprisingly, Lü Zhigang found that explanation reasonable too. "No wonder he wants to ruin Zhou Huai'an first and then kill him. That way, when Zhou Huai'an's biological parents find out they had another son, they'll see he was a worthless failure who died and won't care."

The two of them went back and forth, piecing together a full story of switched identities.

They were completely convinced. Only Zhou Huai'an stayed quiet, lost in his own thoughts....Meanwhile, Zhou Xiaoming hadn't expected to be exposed so quickly. How had he missed seeing Lü Zhigang?

He fled in a panic back to the city guesthouse far from the military hospital, packed his things, and prepared to leave.

He had brought Zhou Xiaoling to this guesthouse with him. Hearing movement next door, she knocked and called out, "Eldest Brother, are you back?"

Zhou Xiaoming adjusted his expression, put on his glasses, and opened the door, once again the gentle older brother. "Xiaoling, you didn't go out?"

Zhou Xiaoling shook her head. "No, I was waiting for you. Weren't you going to take me to my new unit?"

Before his cover was blown, Zhou Xiaoming would have dared to go to the Second Institute.

Now, he didn't dare—if he ran into Zhou Huai'an or Lü Zhigang, how would he escape?

He had known for a long time that he wasn't really a Zhou. He had investigated on his own and discovered his biological parents were farmers in a remote village—foolishly simple people.

Meanwhile, the real Zhou child, Zhou Huai'an, was exceptionally talented. Even growing up in harsh conditions, he had succeeded through sheer effort.

Three years ago, Zhou Xiaoming had gone to see Zhou Xiaocheng and realized he was hiding something. He later overheard Zhou Xiaocheng talking to someone else—he had seen a photo on the honor wall of someone who looked exactly like him. After checking the file, he found they shared the same birthdate.

So Zhou Xiaocheng suspected that he and Zhou Huai'an were twin brothers, but he needed to investigate further before telling the family.

That was why his letter only mentioned discovering a secret that needed verifying.

Zhou Xiaoming didn't want to lose everything—his status, his family's protection.

He decided to kill. He replaced Zhou Xiaocheng's live rounds with blanks, intending for him to die. He never expected that in his final moments, Zhou Xiaocheng would desperately save Zhou Huai'an instead.

Zhou Huai'an had been severely injured at the time.

Afterwards, Zhou Xiaoming left the military and returned to Beijing, where he was assigned a job in the archives.

With little to do, he had plenty of time to keep tabs on Zhou Huai'an. He knew he had also left the army but had joined the even more prestigious Second Institute.

Zhou Xiaoling noticed Zhou Xiaoming spacing out and called again, "Eldest Brother, what's wrong?"

Zhou Xiaoming snapped back to reality. "It's nothing. I might not be able to take you after all. My unit wants me to return immediately."