Chapter 1042: It Was Never an Accident

The atmosphere inside the living room instantly changed.

Qin Jun turned toward the entrance, his expression darkening.

Song Jing Li and Kira’s hands remained beneath his jacket, readying their guns.

Liu Shan slowly stood from his seat, his eyes narrowing.

None of them had been expecting another visitor.

The door slowly swung open.

A tall figure stepped inside, bringing with him a gust of cold winter air.

Snowflakes clung to the shoulders of his dark overcoat.

Before the visitor could say a word, Kira had already drawn his gun.

However, the moment he recognized the man’s face, his expression twisted with annoyance.

"Xu Long."

Xu Long stopped. He looked at Kira.

Then at the gun pointed in his direction.

An eyebrow rose.

"It’s James Long Bond, actually."

He casually brushed the snow from his coat.

"And it’s nice seeing you too, Kira."

Kira stared at him.

For several seconds, neither man moved.

Then Kira slowly lowered his weapon.

"You’re an idiot."

Xu Long smiled.

"I know you are."

He stepped farther inside and closed the door behind him.

Song Jing Li frowned at his nonchalant behavior.

"How did you even get in?"

Xu Long glanced at him then at the front door.

"Through the door."

Song Jing Li’s expression darkened.

"I can see that."

"Then why ask?"

"Xu Long."

Qin Jun’s warning tone made the assistant chuckle.

"Alright, alright."

He adjusted his coat.

"What’s with the hostility? You’d think I broke into someone’s house."

Song Jing Li crossed his arms.

"You entered without knocking."

Xu Long blinked.

Then looked at him as though the answer should have been obvious.

"Uh... are you forgetting who owns this place?"

Silence.

Song Jing Li’s mouth opened.

Then closed.

Kira sighed.

Unfortunately, Xu Long had a point.

The vacant building belonged to Lu Tian, who had arranged their accommodation after rescuing them from the fire at their previous residence.

As Lu Tian’s assistant, Xu Long naturally had access to the property.

That didn’t make his unexpected arrival any less irritating.

Kira placed his gun on a nearby table.

"Why are you here?"

Xu Long tilted his head.

"Did you forget?"

"Forget what?"

"I called you."

Kira stared at him.

Xu Long continued, "I told you we needed to meet."

Kira folded his arms.

"You didn’t say it was tonight."

Xu Long glanced at his watch then looked back at him.

"Well, it is tonight."

Kira closed his eyes.

For one brief moment, he seriously considered picking up his gun again.

Song Jing Li rubbed his forehead.

"How does your boss tolerate you?"

Xu Long smiled proudly.

"With great appreciation."

"Somehow, I doubt that."

Xu Long ignored him. He walked farther into the living room, passing Song Jing Li before turning toward Qin Jun.

"Anyway, about what we discussed—"

He stopped.

His eyes shifted past Qin Jun’s shoulder.

Then widened.

"Liu Shan?"

The sudden change in his voice caught everyone’s attention.

Qin Jun frowned.

Kira glanced between the two assistants.

Song Jing Li turned toward the man seated near the coffee table.

Xu Long stared.

Liu Shan stared back.

For several seconds, neither spoke.

Then Liu Shan released a long, exhausted sigh.

Of course.

Of all the places he could have been going tonight...

When Xu Long called earlier to inform him that he was occupied, Liu Shan had simply assumed the man was attending to another matter concerning Lu Corps.

He hadn’t imagined that Xu Long was heading to the exact same place.

The moment he recognized the footsteps at the entrance, Liu Shan had briefly considered slipping out of sight.

But there was nowhere to hide.

And running would only make the situation more suspicious.

Xu Long scratched his head.

"What are you doing here?"

Liu Shan looked at him.

"Isn’t it obvious?"

"No."

Xu Long gestured toward the room.

"Not particularly."

Liu Shan sighed again.

"I’m here for information on Choi Li Sun."

Xu Long’s expression changed. He looked at Liu Shan.

Then at Qin Jun.

Then Kira and Song Jing Li.

A realization slowly dawned on him.

"Wait."

He pointed between them.

"You guys know each other?"

Silence.

Then, almost simultaneously, all four men nodded.

Xu Long blinked.

"Oh."

He lowered his hand.

"I see."

After a moment, he nodded to himself.

It made sense.

Qin Jun, Song Jing Li, and Kira were from City Z.

Liu Shan had spent years working alongside Yue Ling in the same city.

It wasn’t surprising that their paths had crossed.

Still...

Xu Long pressed his lips together.

He looked directly at Liu Shan.

"Then why didn’t you just say so?"

Liu Shan met his gaze.

For a brief moment, guilt flickered across his expression.

Xu Long had been trying to help them.

He had approached Kira for information without knowing Liu Shan already had a connection to the three men.

And Liu Shan had never bothered mentioning it.

Not because he wanted to deceive Xu Long.

He simply hadn’t thought the connection would become important.

Now, however, that omission looked rather foolish.

Liu Shan looked away.

"We can discuss that later."

Xu Long narrowed his eyes.

"Liu Shan—"

Liu Shan turned toward Qin Jun.

"The information."

His expression became serious.

"That’s what we’re here for."

Xu Long studied him.

Then exhaled.

Fine.

They could argue later.

Right now, there were more important things to discuss.

Qin Jun watched the exchange between the two assistants. He didn’t fully understand their arrangement, but one thing had become clear.

Both men were investigating Choi Li Sun and were somehow working together.

However, neither had expected the other to be here.

Then again, it wouldn’t surprise him they were working together since their bosses were getting married.

Qin Jun steps away from the seating area.

"Wait here."

He walked toward the far wall, where a long table had been arranged with several laptops, monitors, and communication devices.

Folders were stacked beside the equipment.

Photographs and handwritten notes lay scattered across the surface.

It was a makeshift investigation station.

One of the three men had been using it ever since they arrived in Imperial.

Qin Jun examined the folders.

Then selected several thick files from the stack.

He returned to the living room and placed them on the coffee table.

Thud.

Liu Shan looked down.

Xu Long moved closer.

Qin Jun resumed his seat.

"This is everything we have."

Liu Shan stared at the folders.

There were more than he had expected.

Much more.

"All of it?"

Qin Jun nodded.

"Everything we’ve managed to gather."

Xu Long looked at the stack.

"How long have you been investigating him?"

Kira gave a humorless laugh.

"Long enough to lose track of the days."

Song Jing Li lowered his gaze.

"And still not long enough to find him."

Liu Shan glanced toward Xu Long.

Their eyes met.

A silent understanding passed between them.

’We’ll talk later.’

Xu Long gave a barely perceptible nod.

He removed his coat and took the empty seat beside Liu Shan.

Kira settled onto the couch, while Song Jing Li sat beside him.

For a moment, the only sound in the room was the faint hum of the heating system.

Then Liu Shan reached for the first folder.

He opened it.

Inside were photographs, financial records, travel documents, and pages of handwritten observations.

His eyes moved rapidly across the information.

Choi Li Sun.

Known associates.

Possible aliases.

Unconfirmed sightings.

Locations connected to his activities.

The dates stretched much further into the past than he had initially anticipated.

Information that had been deliberately erased, leaving behind traces of data he could no longer recover.

Liu Shan turned another page.

Then another.

Beside him, Xu Long picked up a separate folder.

His brows drew together as he examined the contents.

"These records go back years."

Qin Jun nodded.

"We started looking into his movements long before he appeared in Imperial."

Xu Long looked up.

"And you still couldn’t find him?"

Kira leaned back.

"Not a trace."

Song Jing Li’s jaw tightened.

"Every time we thought we were getting close, the trail disappeared."

Qin Jun remained silent.

They had spent countless days and sleepless nights searching for Choi Li Sun.

They had followed rumors.

Questioned informants.

Tracked transactions.

Investigated places where he was believed to have appeared.

Yet despite everything, they hadn’t managed to catch so much as a glimpse of his shadow.

Until Liu Shan walked into this place and told them he had seen Choi Li Sun on surveillance footage.

The bitter irony was almost unbearable.

Liu Shan continued reading.

Then his fingers stopped.

His gaze had fallen upon a section near the middle of the folder.

A photograph.

A date.

A familiar name.

For a moment, he thought he had misread it.

He leaned closer.

His eyes moved across the page again.

Then again.

The words didn’t change.

His breathing slowed.

The room around him seemed to grow distant.

’No...’

His fingers tightened around the paper.

He turned to the next page.

A vehicle.

A collision report.

Medical records.

Investigative notes.

And a conclusion that made his blood run cold.

His hands began to tremble.

Xu Long noticed.

"Liu Shan?"

No response.

The assistant stared at the documents then at Liu Shan, whose expression slowly drained of color.

Xu Long leaned toward him.

"What is it?"

Liu Shan didn’t answer.

Instead, he slowly raised his head. His eyes locked with Qin Jun’s.

"This..."

His voice came out hoarse.

Qin Jun followed his gaze to the folder.

The moment he recognized it, his expression changed.

He knew that folder.

Of all the documents scattered across their investigation table, it was the one he had opened most often.

The one he had studied until he could recite nearly every detail from memory.

The one that had robbed him of countless nights of sleep.

Qin Jun closed his eyes.

For a moment, he struggled to steady his breathing.

Then he opened them again.

"Shin’s accident."

Two words.

Yet they seemed to drain all the warmth from the room.

Liu Shan slowly lowered the folder. His eyes searched Qin Jun’s face.

He wanted to believe he had misunderstood.

That the information was incomplete.

That there was some reasonable explanation for what he had just read.

But the look in Qin Jun’s eyes told him otherwise.

Liu Shan swallowed.

"It wasn’t an accident."

Kira lowered his head.

Song Jing Li looked away.

Xu Long frowned, unaware of the reason behind the men’s behavior.

Qin Jun didn’t answer immediately. His jaw trembled.

He stood and walked to the window, staring at the dark city beyond the glass.

For three years, he had carried the truth.

Three years of searching.

Three years of anger.

Three years of waking up every morning knowing that the person responsible for his brother’s death was still somewhere out there.

Living.

Breathing.

Perhaps even laughing.

While Lee Shin lay beneath the earth.

Qin Jun’s hands slowly curled into fists. His fingernails dug into his palms. He barely felt the pain.

"No."

His voice was low.

Almost inaudible.

Liu Shan stared at him.

Qin Jun’s throat tightened. He forced the words past the grief lodged inside it.

"He was murdered."

Silence swallowed the living room.

Liu Shan stared at Qin Jun.

For several seconds, he couldn’t move.

Couldn’t speak.

The words echoed through his mind.

’He was murdered.’

Lee Shin.

The man who had spent ten years by Yue Ling’s side.

The man whose death had left a wound so deep that even time had struggled to heal it.

The man they had all believed was taken by a tragic accident.

Murdered.

Liu Shan slowly looked down at the folder.

He remembered the day they received the news.

The disbelief.

The frantic attempts to understand what had happened.

And Yue Ling...

His chest tightened.

He remembered driving her to the hospital.

How she had buried her grief beneath work and responsibilities.

How she had carried on because there had been no other choice.

For years, she had believed Lee Shin’s weakened heart simply hadn’t survived the impact of the collision.

A cruel accident.

A terrible twist of fate.

But now...

Liu Shan’s fingers tightened around the folder.

"How long?"

Qin Jun didn’t turn.

Liu Shan swallowed.

"How long have you known?"

Kira lifted his head.

"We didn’t know immediately."

His usual carefree expression was gone.

"Jun was the first. He started noticing inconsistencies after the funeral."

Song Jing Li stared at the floor.

"Things that didn’t make sense."

He paused.

"Details that shouldn’t have been there. He pulled up records before the crash and brought them to us."

Liu Shan looked toward him.

"And you investigated?"

Song Jing Li nodded.

"We couldn’t leave it alone."

Kira let out a bitter laugh.

"Especially Qin Jun."

Liu Shan slowly turned toward the man standing by the window.

Qin Jun remained motionless.

Kira continued quietly.

"He wouldn’t accept that Shin was gone because of some meaningless accident."

Song Jing Li’s voice hardened.

"And he was right."

Xu Long lowered his gaze toward the documents but Liu Shan slowly closed the folder.

"Does she know?"

Qin Jun felt a sharp stab in his chest at the mention of ’her’.

He finally turned.

His eyes were red.

"No."

Liu Shan’s heart sank. He had expected the answer.

Yet hearing it still hurt.

Qin Jun looked directly at him.

"And she’s not going to know because we promised we weren’t going to drag back into this world."

Liu Shan frowned.

"Qin Jun—"

"Don’t."

The single word cut through the room.

Qin Jun’s expression hardened.

"Don’t tell me she deserves to know. I already know that."

His voice trembled.

"Do you think I haven’t thought about telling her?"

Liu Shan fell silent.

Qin Jun looked away.

"Every time I see her, I think about it."

He swallowed.

"Every time someone mentions Shin, I think about it."

His hands tightened.

"But what am I supposed to tell her?"

He turned back.

"That the man she loved didn’t die because of an accident?"

His voice grew rough.

"That someone deliberately tampered with the brakes of his car and took him away from her?"

No one answered.

Qin Jun’s jaw clenched.

"And then what?"

He laughed bitterly.

"Give her another wound when I can’t even find the man who caused it?"

Liu Shan lowered his gaze. He understood.

Perhaps more than he wanted to.

He had been hiding the investigation into Liu Peng and Choi Li Sun for a similar reason.

He didn’t want Yue Ling to suffer.

Not again.

But the longer they concealed the truth, the more dangerous that silence became.

"Keeping this from her won’t make it disappear."

Qin Jun looked at him.

Liu Shan’s expression remained serious.

"Eventually, she’ll find out."

"I know."

"And when she does—"

"I know."

Qin Jun’s voice rose slightly then he stopped. He closed his eyes and drew a slow breath.

When he spoke again, his voice was quieter.

"I know."

For a long moment, no one moved.

Then Qin Jun lowered himself into a chair. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Shin wasn’t just my friend."

Liu Shan looked at him.

Qin Jun stared at his clasped hands.

"We weren’t related by blood."

His lips trembled faintly.

"But he was my hyung."

The words came quietly.

Without anger.

Without bitterness.

And somehow, that made them hurt even more.

"He was family."

Kira lowered his gaze.

Song Jing Li pressed his lips together.

Qin Jun continued.

"We grew up trusting each other with everything."

His voice grew strained.

"He was there when I needed him. And I was there for him... then on the day of the accident."

He paused.

A long, painful silence followed.

"I couldn’t do anything..."

He couldn’t finish.

Liu Shan felt something tighten in his chest.

Qin Jun lowered his head.

"I couldn’t save him."

His shoulders lowered in defeat.

"He knew he wasn’t going to make it and still..."

He lifted his head. His eyes filled with unshed tears and met Liu Shan’s eyes.

"He asked me to take care of her."

No one spoke.

There was nothing anyone could say that would make those words less painful.

Outside, snow drifted silently past the windows.

Inside, four men sat with the weight of a truth that had remained buried for three years.

And Xu Long, seated beside Liu Shan, had remained silent throughout the conversation.

From the painful exchange between Qin Jun and the others, he had managed to piece together that they were discussing Lee Shin.

However, unlike the men sitting around him, Xu Long knew very little about the deceased man.

He knew Lee Shin had once been an important part of these men’s lives.

But beyond that, the details remained a mystery.

His gaze drifted toward the folder Liu Shan had placed on the coffee table.

After a moment of debating, he reached for it.

He opened the folder and began flipping through the documents.

Medical reports.

Accident records.

Investigative notes.

Then his fingers stopped.

A photograph was attached to one of the pages.

Xu Long stared at it. His eyes slowly widened.

’Wait a minute...’

He lifted the photograph closer, studying the man’s features.

The shape of his face.

His eyes.

The familiar curve of his lips.

A resemblance he had seen far too recently.

Xu Long’s brows drew together.

He turned toward Liu Shan.

"This is Lee Shin?"

Liu Shan didn’t answer. His gaze remained lowered, his mind still struggling to process the devastating truth Qin Jun had revealed.

’Lee Shin was murdered.’

The words continued echoing through his thoughts.

Xu Long glanced at him before returning his attention to the photograph.

He studied it again.

Then thought of the surveillance footage from the lounge bar.

Choi Li Sun.

The shoulder-length blond hair.

The jagged scar.

And the face that had seemed strangely familiar even before he knew whose likeness it carried.

The resemblance was unmistakable.

But why?

Why would a man deliberately undergo such extensive procedures to resemble someone who had been dead for three years?

Xu Long’s expression darkened.

Then, almost unconsciously, he muttered beneath his breath.

"Why would Choi Li Sun change his face to look like Lee Shin?"

The words were quiet.

He hadn’t intended for anyone to hear them.

But in the suffocating silence of the living room, every syllable carried.

Qin Jun froze.

Kira’s head snapped up.

Song Jing Li slowly turned toward Xu Long.

For one terrible moment, none of the three men moved.

Then the color drained from their faces.

"WHAT?!"

Their voices erupted simultaneously.

Xu Long startled. He looked up from the photograph.

Three pairs of eyes were staring directly at him.

Qin Jun had already risen from his chair. His expression was no longer merely grief-stricken.

It was terrifying.

"What did you just say?"

Xu Long blinked.

"I said—"

"Choi Li Sun."

Qin Jun took a step forward. His voice dropped dangerously low.

"What did you say about his face?"

Xu Long looked toward Liu Shan. Only then did he realize something.

Something he should have noticed much earlier.

Liu Shan had told the three men about the surveillance footage. He had told them that Choi Li Sun was seen meeting Liu Peng.

But he hadn’t told them what Choi Li Sun looked like.

Xu Long slowly lowered the photograph. His eyes met Liu Shan’s.

The assistant had finally lifted his head.

And the expression on his face said everything.

’You weren’t supposed to tell them.’

Xu Long’s stomach sank.

’Oh, hell.’

Across the coffee table, Qin Jun’s patience snapped.

"Xu Long!"

The sharpness of his voice made everyone turn.

Qin Jun’s hands were trembling.

"Answer me."

Xu Long looked at the photograph one last time.

Then slowly raised his eyes.

His expression became grave.

"The man we saw in the surveillance footage was..."

He paused.

"Choi Li Sun but he’s changed his appearance."

Kira slowly stood.

Song Jing Li’s fingers curled into fists.

Xu Long continued, his voice growing quieter.

"And the face he’s wearing now..."

His gaze fell toward the photograph of Lee Shin.

Then he looked directly at Qin Jun.

"It’s his."