Du Zhiwei pursed her lips and stood to the side.

Xie Zhiyan's gaze returned to Du Chenzhou, still considering his options. Howard and Lusca, sensing the tense atmosphere, immediately stepped forward to help Du Chenzhou, speaking in broken English—

“Although we didn’t understand what you were arguing about, Zhou is not a bad person.”

Du Zhiwei gave them a simple explanation, feeling somewhat helpless. They weren't arguing; they were just questioning why Du Chenzhou had gone to the border and what his purpose was there.

Howard and Lusca frowned upon hearing this.

“We did encounter Zhou at the border, and we don’t know what he was doing there, but he helped us a lot and didn’t come into contact with any strange people.”

Howard and Lusca looked at Shu Ying.

"Madam, you just called out Zhou's name. You know him, don't you?"

“Since you are acquaintances, you must know Zhou’s character.”

"Zhou is very enthusiastic and responsible, and he took good care of us throughout the journey."

"When he learned that we couldn't speak the language and that all the people who were escorting us were dead, and that there was no one to translate for us, he volunteered to help us, translate for us, and even escorted us to the capital."

"It's fair to say that without the boat, our journey wouldn't have been so smooth, and we probably wouldn't even have been able to take the train."

Howard and Lusca thought it over and over and still felt they should help their friend; as they talked, their expressions became even more determined.

"In short, I will not allow you to doubt our friends who have helped us unless you have solid evidence."

Howard and Lusca glanced at Chen Feng and Zheng Yifan, then turned their gaze to Xie Zhiyan.

"Police officers, and this comrade in military uniform who looks like a soldier, I hope you can investigate the truth as soon as possible, clear our names, and clear Zhou's name as well."

“Our purpose for this trip is perfectly legitimate, all procedures are legal and compliant, and we have already contacted your country’s representatives in advance.”

"Our innocence can be fully proven once we are in the military and contact the relevant national representatives."

"But time is limited, and we can't stay here forever, so please hurry."

Du Zhiwei glanced at Howard and Lusca, then at Xie Zhiyan, and decided to step in and comfort them.

"Please be patient, we have already contacted the relevant departments..."

Du Zhiwei spoke fluent English with the other party, while Shu Ying pulled Xie Zhiyan aside.

She glanced down at the pocket watch that Xie Zhiyan was clutching tightly in his hand, her expression a mixture of amusement and something else entirely.

If she remembers correctly, this photo should be a passport photo taken many years ago when she was abroad.

It seems she needed to take some kind of ID photo at the time, so she specifically asked a Chinese photographer overseas to take it for her.

Fearing that they might need to use such a small photo again, they simply asked the photographer to print out a few extra copies to keep as backups.

After the photos were developed, I sent one home with a letter to my family to tell them that I was doing well and that I looked exactly the same. The rest of the photos were used on various documents and files.

There were two photos left, but she didn't stay abroad for long and returned to China soon. Naturally, she didn't use them all and didn't know where she put them. Maybe she put them in a small bag or between the pages of a book when she packed her things to go back to China.

In short, after returning to China, while cleaning up the luggage she brought back from abroad, the photos somehow fell out and landed in the fish tank in her room. By the time she discovered them, the photos were torn and unusable.

The reason she remembers it so clearly, and can tell at a glance that the photo was taken abroad, is because the photographer was very good at taking pictures of people.