"I owe Shufen an explanation for the rest of my life."

Duan Jiancheng's voice was calm, but the old man could hear a deep sadness in it.

"You both have your own families now, so what's the point of asking now..."

"Jiancheng, listen to your squad leader, stop investigating this matter."

Duan Jiancheng stared at the firelight in the furnace, somewhat lost in thought.

Over the years, he had considered the possibilities countless times. After all, Shufen's family was very well-off. How well-off? During the student uprising, countless students suffered, and even he could not avoid it. Yet Shufen was able to persuade her family to work with the school to bail out the students.

Later, when war broke out, the Zhang family was able to take on the responsibility of rebuilding one school after another.

Zhang Shufen was a true young lady in that era; it is said that her ancestors were nobles in the imperial palace.

It was so difficult, but she didn't give up on being with him. But what about him?

He just wanted an answer, even if that answer had long been washed away by time, he still wanted even the slightest clue.

Why is it that when the country is at peace and the nation is being rebuilt, he not only lost his older brother, younger brother, and older sister, but even his fiancée has disappeared?

It got dark quickly; in winter, it always gets dark very quickly.

Duan Jiancheng said, "Squad leader, I'm going back to Kyoto. I may never return to the base. I only want this one answer. I don't ask for anything else."

"As you said, the past is the past, so what if I know the answer? I am Duan Jiancheng, and I can distinguish right from wrong."

The old man remained silent, but this silence did not last as long as usual.

He said, "Back then, when Shufen went to study in the West, the Zhang family, to ensure their safety, handed over almost all of their assets. That money wasn't in our hands; it was stolen by the enemy..."

"The organization has not yet investigated the cause and effect of the matter, and the Zhang family is not in the country. It's hard not to suspect that the Zhang family has defected to the enemy..."

“It was only after Miss Shufen returned to school after completing her studies that things started to get clearer back then. But you weren’t on the mainland at the time, so we didn’t know your specific situation.”

"Later, when I learned your specific situation, you were already seriously injured and in a coma. The doctor said that the chance of you waking up was almost zero."

The more Duan Jiancheng listened, the heavier the feeling of suffocation and guilt became in his heart.

"So, the organization chose to keep it a secret?"