After what Zhan told me about his father's little brother, I just didn't know what to say. I felt that no matter what I would say, it could be wrong. And so I kept silent for a few minutes, and a silence fell that somehow felt heavy. As if the silence was becoming something tough that was settling over us.

I could have said that now that I knew the story, I could understand his father. But then, because of my work, I would also have had to say that he could not take the law into his own hands. But because I didn't want to say either, I kept silent, and I think in this case it was the right thing.

After a few minutes, Zhan slid the envelope back over to me and said, "I think you should look at this information."

"Zhan, I already said that I will earn my answers." I replied. Why was he starting that again? I thought I had made it very clear?

"Because I think we should, even though we may be enemies, trust each other. I'll give you the information and trust that you'll stick to our deal. You can look at it in peace. Since you're going to spend the night here tonight anyway, you can retire to one of the guest rooms."

"I'll sleep in your room."

"What? I'm hurt and my shoulder still hurts. There won't be anything going on between us tonight. Besides, I'm tired. It's been a long day, a long flight, and the evening wasn't any better."

"I'll sleep next to you anyway. That way I'll be there if you need anything."

"If I need anything, I'll call my assistant."

"Leave the man alone. He's already old and needs his sleep. You want us to trust each other Zhan. Then trust me when I tell you I don't expect anything and just want to sleep beside you."

"Come on then. I'm really tired. I just want to take a quick shower and then go to bed."

"Don't let any water get on your wound. I'll help you."

"Ah? Um no, it's okay."

"I said I'll help you. Don't talk back. After all, this isn't the first time I've seen you naked."

"Alright. I'm too tired to argue now." Replied Zhan. We went to his room, I should take the envelope with me and then I helped him take off his clothes.

I was shocked to see that he not only had a bullet wound on his right shoulder, but also a large bruise on his ribs that must have been very painful. There was also a large bruise on his back. "What did they do to you?" I asked Zhan worriedly.

"Nothing. It were those idiot bodyguards. They panicked and pushed me over to get me out of the line of fire. I fell between the chair and the desk. I slammed my back into the desk and my ribs onto the chair. And the bullet wound came from one of the bodyguards. I don't know how he could miss like that."

"You might need to learn to shoot, too. Then you could defend yourself with a gun in an emergency."

"Oh, I can shoot. Very well, in fact. I learned it when I was adopted into the family. But since I rarely take my father's private jet and mostly travel normally on airplanes, I can't carry a gun."

"Mhhh, yeah right. Even as a special agent, I need a special permit and it's only granted under certain conditions. Come on Zhan, I'll help you wash up."

I went with Zhan to his bathroom and we both went to his shower. I washed Zhan's body and hair, making sure to keep the bullet wound dry, and dried him carefully afterwards. Kind of strange, I didn't think for a second about getting closer to him sexually and just wanted to help him.

I put on his sleeping pants and before I also put on his sleeping top, I cleaned his wound again. When he lay down in bed, I sat down next to him. It didn't take him five minutes to fall asleep.

After watching him sleep for a few minutes, not really tired myself, my eyes fell back on the envelope lying on the nightstand next to me. I took it and considered whether to open it or not. Since Zhan told me it might be important for me, I opened it after all.

I pulled out the contents and the first thing on top was a picture of a surveillance camera. The date is from 8 years ago, just a few hours before my brother disappeared. The picture shows my mother, my brother and Meng Yao at an airport counter. I knew immediately what this meant, but somehow didn't want it to be true.

On the second sheet was a booking confirmation for two airline tickets from Beijing to Yiling, for my brother and Meng Yao and paid in cash.

The third sheet is a bank statement from my mother. There is a cash debit recorded on it, for the exact amount the plane tickets cost.

Sheets 4-7 were telephone lists. A call log. On it, a phone number I didn't know and my mother's cell phone number. According to this list, my mother and the person of the other number, had talked on the phone at least once a month. To find out if I was right in my assumption, I took Zhan's house phone and called that number.

And just as I thought, my brother answered. "Wang Hai Kuan, hello?"

"Hai Kuan, I think you owe me some answers." I said.

"Yibo?"

"Yes."

"Um, what kind of answers do you want?"

"How much time do you have right now?"

"About an hour."

"Good, then I'll start right away. Did Mom help you and Meng Yao leave town? If so, why?"

"I think you know she helped us or you wouldn't ask me about that. So yes, she helped us. She had learned through a colleague that Meng Yao was involved in several frauds at the time. And because everyone knew that he and I were a couple, I also became a suspect. Mom didn't want me to be arrested and interrogated for something I didn't do. And also because of her job. So she told me, Meng Yao and me should get out of town."

"Did you have regular contact?"

"Yes. About once a month we talked on the phone."

"Did you know that she gave a perfect performance of the grieving worried mother at home to cover for you?"

"Yes. She told me about it."

"What else did she tell you? That I became a special agent?"

"Yes, she told me all about you. Even the one about your partner, who you had to kill in self-defense, and also that you're investigating undercover at the Yiling Police Station. Your first case since your medical suspension."

"Did you tell Zhan about that too?"

"I um, well. Yeah, I kind of did. But only because I was so proud of you and trust him." That answers all my questions. How Zhan knew me, since when, and of course, where my brother is. He really fulfilled his part of the deal.

"How dangerous that is for me if you just give out that kind of information, you do realize, right?"

"I trust Zhan. If he or Wen Rouhan had wanted to do anything to you, you would have died long ago. Did you know that our mother knew Wen Rouhan?"

"What?" They knew each other? Did I understand that correctly just now?

"Yes. Back when Mom was just starting to work as a prosecutor, she met him. At the time, his brother had been wrongfully imprisoned. Mom wanted to help his brother by putting the girls who caused his brother, to be imprisoned, behind bars, even if it was only for a few months. But the chief prosecutor took the case away from her again. He said it was because of her bias."

Slowly I get a picture of my mother that I don't like at all. Some thoughts are forming in my head that I would rather not have.

"Um Hai Kuan, do you know if mom and Wen Rouhan are still in contact?"

"I don't. I only know that what I just told you."

"I see. You know about the Wen's, and yet you trust Zhan?"

"Sure. He helped me right away when I was down. You know, even though I had contact with Mother, she didn't know about all that I went through. She also doesn't know about Cheng or that I'm in America. When you got your new case, she even called me to tell me to be careful not to run into you."

"Funny, from me she wanted me to look for you."

"Maybe that was just her way of keeping you from finding out her secret? I mean, she was doing exactly what you would expect her to do as a mother. After all, I've been considered missing for years."

"You're right. I can't believe she lied to Dad and me all those years. She put on a perfect act for us. She begged Dad not to stop looking for you."

"I'm sorry. I told Mom many times to tell you the truth. I wanted to call dad a lot, but at the same time I didn't want to reveal mom."

"What do you want me to say to that mhm? Did you ever think about how Dad and I felt when you suddenly disappeared? You thought about not wanting to betray Mom. But you should have thought about how dad and I were doing. And instead of just running away, you should have talked to Dad then."

"It all happened so fast that I hardly understood it myself. Mom came to see me and Meng Yao at the university and told us the prosecutors were after us. Then she drove us to the airport, bought plane tickets for us, and at 2 am that night, she woke me up. Meng Yao was waiting in front of the house in the cab and we left immediately. I didn't have time at all to really think about what was happening."

"I see. But then you should have called Dad afterwards. Oh man, thinking back, that chief prosecutor was really right back then when he accused Mom of helping you and Meng Yao. I can't believe it."

"I'm sorry Yibo. Really. I know it's my fault and I should have contacted you and Dad. But after so much time had passed, I didn't have the courage and I didn't know how to explain without getting Mom in trouble."

"Well, it doesn't matter now. But let me tell Dad. He should know."

"All right."

"I'll talk to him tomorrow and give him your cell phone number. Then you can talk to him yourself."

"Okay."

"And please be honest with him. He doesn't deserve to be lied to like that."

"Mhm you're right. But then what about Mom?"

"She'll have to go through that herself. She should have talked to Dad, too. Instead of lying to him all these years and fooling him."

"Yeah, you're right."

"All right. I'm going to go to sleep now. It's nighttime here. I'll be in touch again."

"Okay, see you soon little brother."

"Mhm, see you soon." I said and ended the call. I put the phone back on its charger and crawled into bed next to Zhan. I looked at him for a few more minutes and was kind of glad I met him. Because without him, I never would have found out the truth. Maybe we're not just enemies after all?