Chapter 245: Hope Shattered

"Passes, yes, yes."

Lei Zi nodded, took out a piece of red paper from his bag, and was about to show it to the sentry when Lina suddenly came over, pulled the sentry in front of Lei Zi, and said with a little excitement.

"Aren't you supposed to go inform the Chen family and hurry up? Why aren't any of you there?"

The sentry, pulled by Lina, had no time to pay attention to Lei Zi and his group. He watched Lei Zi take out the pass and then wave it in front of him. It looked no different from any other pass. The sentry, being pulled by Lina, could only wave his hand.

"You guys go in."

Seeing that the sentry was relieved, Lei Zi's face, which had been tense, finally relaxed. He hurriedly pushed the cart, and Qin Qing and Wen Shishi walked into the yard together, one on the left and one on the right.

Only after he was sure he had entered the gate did Lei Zi wipe the sweat from his face. Given the situation just now, he was really afraid that the sentry would take his pass to see it.

"What's wrong, Leizi? Are you scared of this?"

Wen Shishi looked at Lei Zi and smiled, but the stench of sewage still reached her nose, causing her to quickly move three steps to the side.

"I've never done anything like this before. What if they find out this pass is fake?"

Lei Zi was naturally nervous. Qian Dafa had fabricated the pass based on his memory of someone entering the building before. A closer look would reveal the truth. Qin Qing and the others were also quite courageous, so they weren't panicking at all. He had never lied before, and he was just afraid of being caught.

"If we really get caught, we'll run away and give you away, saying it was you who ordered it, hahahaha."

Wen Shishi started joking, and only Qin Qing kept observing the number of buildings in the yard.

Of course, coming to collect sewage was just a cover-up. She had only one goal, which was to find No. 3 Tianheyuan.

The three of them first pushed the cart to a remote corner and hid it, then searched the yard all the way. They didn't dare to ask anyone for directions, for fear of being discovered as having sneaked in.

After about ten minutes, Qin Qing finally found Courtyard No. 3. Looking at the courtyard wall in front of her, Qin Qing took out a photo for comparison. Although more than ten years had passed, the courtyard wall had not changed much and was almost exactly the same as in the photo.

"This is it."

Qin Qing said nervously. After thinking for a while, she went forward and knocked on the door.

"Here I come."

There was a knock at the door, and soon the door opened. An old woman was standing at the door, looking at Qin Qing and the other two with a strange expression.

"Who are you looking for?" The old woman frowned and stared at the three people warily.

"We're looking for..."

Wen Shishi was about to say Fang Zhiwei's name, but Qin Qing suddenly reached out and pulled her, and she smiled slightly.

"Hello, we are Fang Zhiwei's childhood friends. Ning Keqing told us that he was in trouble, so we came to see him. Sorry, it's a bit sudden."

Wen Shishi glanced at Qin Qing and understood instantly.

If her words were really useful, it would prove that Fang Zhiwei did live here, and it would also be possible to know whether Fang Zhiwei had gotten into trouble. In this way, it would be a two-pronged approach.

Qin Qing looked at the old woman nervously, her breathing a little short. She was also taking a gamble, because she didn't know if this was Fang Zhiwei's home. If she directly said she was looking for Fang Zhiwei, he might not let her in, so she specifically mentioned Ning Keqing.

"Xiao Wei..."

When Fang Zhiwei was mentioned, the old woman's eyes dimmed instantly. Seeing her expression, Qin Qing's heart sank.

"You guys come in first."

The old woman sighed, then welcomed Qin Qing and the other two into the house.

This is a three-story courtyard with an ancient charm and a variety of flowers and plants planted in the courtyard. It looks peaceful and quiet. When Qin Qing and the other two entered the house, they looked up and saw the memorial tablet in the hall. The black and white photo on it was exactly that of Fang Zhiwei.

Seeing the photo, Lei Zi and Wen Shishi looked at each other. It seemed that they had really found the right place.

This is Fang Zhiwei's home, but here, Qin Qing has to face a cruel thing.

Even the memorial tablet has been set up, so it cannot be fake.

When Qin Qing saw the memorial tablet, her body trembled slightly and her face turned pale instantly. Wen Shishi hurriedly supported her hand. She slowly walked to the memorial tablet, looked at the familiar face in the photo, and tears fell down.

"As you can see, Xiaowei passed away a few days ago... Our family..."

The old woman was about to speak when a deep voice sounded.

"Sister Huang. Who's here?"

Sister Huang turned around and quickly replied, "It's Xiaowei's friends. They heard the news and came to see him."

Qin Qing also looked up, and the white-haired old man in front of her was Lan Tingli. Her memory was instantly awakened. It was he who took Fang Zhiwei away.

"It's you!"

Lan Tingli looked at Qin Qing, his eyes clearly showing some surprise. "Why did you come to Kyoto? And you found me?"

Tears welled up in Qin Qing's eyes. "Didn't you say you would bring him back to Kyoto and give him the best treatment? Why, why did he become like this?!"

At this moment, Qin Qing could no longer contain her inner collapse and loudly questioned Lan Tingli.

Lan Tingli just snorted coldly and swung the cane in his hand.

"What qualifications do you have to question me?"

"Then tell me, why did he die?"

Qin Qing had been unwilling to accept the fact that Fang Zhiwei had left. She still thought that she would wait in Kyoto for Li Ran to come back, and she still had a glimmer of hope in her heart.

But now, looking at the memorial tablet in front of him and Lan Tingli, his hair has turned completely white.

When she saw him some time ago, he had some white hair, but it was not completely white. But now his hair is completely white, which is enough to prove how much of a blow he has suffered.

"He was too weak to survive. He sacrificed his life for his country, so even if he died, it was a worthy death!"

Lan Tingli's voice was cold and seemingly ruthless, but when his eyes fell on Fang Zhiwei's portrait, there was a pain that was hard to hide.

"What about Li Ran? Where is he?"

Qin Jing still stubbornly asked the question in her heart. Ning Keqing may not know Li Ran's whereabouts, but Lan Tingli must know.

"He's on a mission and will be back in Kyoto in a month. If you want to see him, come back next month and I'll let him see you."

What surprised Qin Qing was that Lan Tingli did not hide anything and directly told her the time to meet Li Ran.

All the questions she had originally raised were swallowed up by her at this moment. She didn't even know what else she should ask.

All her hopes were shattered. He was truly gone...

The light in Qin Qing's eyes dimmed little by little, and finally her vision went black and she fainted.