20 Years Ago

Sitting at her dresser, she opens up a video communique. Once she sees the man nod on the screen, she continues.

"Boss let me get you caught up on what's been happening. We haven't spoken since the new product development announcement party the other day, right?"

"What's been happening since then?"

"As luck would have it, Xi Yuanjun invited me out last night. Wang Zhixin and I went to his members-only restaurant party, located on the grounds of Heaven's Gate Resort."

"Xi Yuanjun, the man they called the Resort King?"

"Jing Ke was there as well. The three of them have been friends since college."

"Sounds like one hell of an alliance. It must have been a pretty difficult night, even for you."

"Well, I hate to admit, but Xi Yuanjun wiped the floor with me in poker. And as a punishment for losing, he asked that I answer a few questions."

"Oh? Questions, you say?"

"Yes, about my name, my job, and.." Jian Qingshan lost track and thought back to the last question.

"Qingshan?"

"They were mostly simple, straightforward questions about my name and job." She tries to chase the other questions from her mind. If she had told the boss about those, she'll have to explain that she kissed Wang Zhixin.

"I'd like to know why Mr. Xi decided to challenge you to a game. Keep a careful watch on the situation for now. You don't want to stir up trouble for yourself."

"Yes sir."

"Moving on, I have something to report to you as well. It's about something that happened at the WGTC product announcement party. I'm sure you remember Wei Li."

"Yes, the CEO of FEX Incorporation. It sounded like he and Zhixin used to be friends."

"I finished looking into the Golden Gate Bridge incident you mentioned."

"Really? Did the phrase prove useful? Were you able to find out anything about Zhixin's past?"

"Yes. It's clear Mr. Wang is trying to hide his past. Any and all information relating to his childhood has been erased. Researching him was no easy feat. We're living in the information age. I never thought I'd have to resort to analog methods like knocking on doors."

Wearing an uncharacteristically wry smile, Huo Qubing types something into his computer. An instant later, a number of photos appears on her screen.

The photos were images of very average American neighborhood. Although the majority of the photos are of the neighborhood, there's a single photo of a small backstreet factory.

"I got these for an elderly man living in the San Francisco bay area. The photos are from more than 20 years ago. And this particular old man provided me with some useful information. He knew about a certain event that occurred in Mr. Wang's past."

Stunned, her breath catches in her throat. Huo Qubing nods before showing another photo. It was a snapshot of a moment in time. A little boy running up to a man in workman's clothes standing in front of a small factory.

Jian Qingshan did not even have to ask who that man was. The man looks just like the one she saw from the album. The kid was Wang Zhixin, and the man in the jumpsuit was his father.

"20 something years ago, there was a little factory on the backstreets of San Francisco bay. It was small, but very well-regarded locally for its sophisticated craftmanship and precision. Wang Shen and his family have migrated to America during that time and as you expected, the factory belongs to the family."

"…"

"However, disasters struck. The factory took a big hit during the economic downturn following the financial crisis at that time. Some of their big clients put profit before quality and stopped working with the small factory. What happened next is too terrible for words."

"The factory went bankrupt?"

"Overwhelmed by insurmountable debt, Wang Shen and his wife hung themselves under the Golden Gate Bridge. Then, their son went missing. The old man told me all of that. That's the story of how that small factory came to an end."

Huo Qubing related the story as indifferently as possible so as not to upset Jian Qingshan. Yet, for some reason she couldn't stop grinding her back teeth.

Jian Qingshan has been wondering why Wang Zhixin took it upon himself to erase his own past. She thought that if he was planning to use his virus to commit some kind of crime, then it must have something to do with something shady from his past.

Unable to speak, she takes a long, deep breath. It's as if a bunch of disparate puzzle pieces has finally come together to form a complete image.

Wang Zhixin wasn't hiding any wrongdoing. He didn't have the kind of checkered past she was imagining.

"Looks like you're a step closer to getting a complete idea of who your target is."

"Yes, Boss."

Human memory is fallible. Eyewitness testimonies can be inaccurate. But if the story about Wang Zhixin's past is true; if he really lost his parents at a young age, and lost his home and his parents' factory, then she couldn't imagine how he must feel, occupying the position he does today.

Jian Qingshan is starting to understand the motivating force behind his single-minded devotion to his work.

It took her a long time before she realizes she's been squeezing her hands into a fist.

Jian Qingshan had never had any qualms about exposing her clients' secrets. On the contrary, she took pleasure in doing so, because she was acting in the name of justice. But this time, what she uncovered is something totally different.

Just as she was thinking, she receives a message.

"It's from Zhixin, Boss. He wants me to go over to his place."

"I see. Sounds like everything is going well between you and your soon-to-be fiancé. Neither of us saw this revelation about his past coming. But it's no reason to shut your eyes to what he's up to in the present. Don't forget. He's trying to use a virus to throw the world into chaos."

"I won't forget."

"Also, the story I was told is based on the memories of one man. In other words, as I'm sure you're aware, you're still going to have to collect evidence from Mr. Wang himself."

"I'll see if I can corroborate the story you heard." She quietly turns back on the delicate, undefined sadness floating through her heart.

The story may have left a bad taste in her mouth, but she still has a job to do. She was an FBI agent, and this was the life she's chosen for herself. She'll do what she does in the name of justice.

And she'll continue to do so, regardless of the circumstances or who she has to deceive.

"I'll find Code X, and I'll destroy the AI carrying the virus. I'm not going to let Wang Zhixin wreak havoc on the world. I promise."

"Make me proud." And so, with one last emphatic nod, Huo Qubing ends the video call.

Exhaling a shaky breath, Jian Qingshan quickly picks up the phone.

"Guan Yu, it's me. I got a last-minute invitation. Give me the super express."

After Guan Yu had stop by Jian Qingshan's place and give her a make-over. She heads over to Wang Zhixin's place, greeting the man in front of his door.

"Another last-minute call, huh?"

"You could have shown up in a hoodie and jeans again if it was too much trouble to get ready. I wouldn't mind."

"Is that how you like your girlfriends to dress?"

"The problem isn't what you're wearing. It's who's wearing it. There's a time and place for everything. As long as you're aware of that, you can wear whatever you want."

"You're the last person who should be talking about dressing for different occasions."

"What?"

"I thought you wore that outfit everywhere, even to the beach."

"You're not wrong, but you're overlooking one essential detail. I'd never go to the beach." Wang Zhixin scoffs then continues. "Enough pointless chitchat. Come with me." Smiling faintly, he ushers her in.

Inside, Amber is glowing, slowly rotating her holographic sphere.

"This way." Wang Zhixin leads them to the 'secret room.'

It has been awhile since she was last in this room, but the vibe inside is exactly the same as it was that night. However, equipped with information she didn't have the first time she was there, it's now like she's seeing the room through new eyes.

"I didn't call you here for work today. It's about a little side project of mine."

"A side project?"

"Never mind, let me try that again. It means more than that to you. Here."

He opens a drawer and takes something out. Stunned by what she sees, she stares at it, wide-eyed.