Chapter 1045: A past he never forgot

Gui Tian Lan’s blood turned cold.

The hand remained on his shoulder like a heavy weight.

Then the voice lowered.

"She screamed your name when I slit her wrists."

A low chuckle followed.

"I enjoyed every second with her. She was so tight."

Cruel.

Deliberate.

Enjoying every word.

"And it was a thrill watching the life drain from her eyes."

Gui Tian Lan couldn’t breathe.

For one terrible moment, the nightclub disappeared.

The music.

The lights.

The laughter.

Everything faded beneath the memory of a voice he had sworn never to forget.

The rain from that night.

The phone call.

His girlfriend.

Her death that was staged to look like suicide.

The recording.

Her screams.

The helplessness.

The years of searching.

The nights when sleep refused to come.

Then the man laughed again. This time, he sounded like a broken record.

"She was so beautiful."

A pause.

"So lifeless."

Something inside Gui Tian Lan shattered.

He slowly turned his head.

Their eyes met.

The man standing beside him wore a dark jacket. His face carried a sinister grin.

A grin that widened when he saw the recognition in Gui Tian Lan’s eyes.

"Remember me?"

Gui Tian Lan moved. His hand shot toward the man’s throat.

But the stranger had already stepped back.

Gui Tian Lan’s fingers closed around empty air.

The man laughed.

A sound filled with such malice that even the deafening music couldn’t drown it out.

"There he is."

His grin widened.

"I was wondering how long it would take."

Gui Tian Lan lunged. His fist flew toward the man’s face.

The stranger ducked.

A nearby patron screamed as Gui Tian Lan’s strike knocked a glass from the counter.

It shattered.

The man retaliated with a sharp punch.

Gui Tian Lan blocked it.

Then drove his knee toward the man’s abdomen.

The stranger twisted away.

A chair toppled.

Someone shouted.

The crowd began scattering.

But Gui Tian Lan barely noticed.

His eyes remained locked on the man before him.

Years of buried rage surged to the surface.

Every unanswered question.

Every sleepless night.

Every memory he had forced himself to endure.

All of it erupted at once.

"You bastard!"

He swung again.

This time, his fist connected.

The stranger stumbled backward.

Blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.

He wiped it away with his thumb.

Then laughed.

"Someone has a grudge."

Gui Tian Lan charged.

The two men crashed into a nearby table.

Bottles fell.

Patrons screamed.

Security guards began pushing through the crowd.

Gui Tian Lan struck with swift, precise movements.

But unlike his usual controlled fighting style, there was something almost desperate beneath every blow.

He wasn’t thinking about the mission anymore.

He wasn’t thinking about Choi Li Sun or Liu Peng.

He could see only the man in front of him.

The man whose voice had haunted him for years.

The man responsible for a scar no amount of time could erase.

Then—

*Thud!

A body suddenly fell from the second floor.

The man struck a table near the dance floor before tumbling onto the ground.

Screams erupted.

Gui Tian Lan instinctively stepped away from his opponent.

His head snapped toward the fallen figure.

’What the hell?’

Before he could react, another figure vaulted over the upper-floor railing.

The man dropped through the air.

Then landed neatly beside him, bending his knees to absorb the impact.

Gui Tian Lan’s eyes widened.

"Zhongmin?!"

His younger twin straightened.

For one brief moment, the brothers stared at each other.

Gui Zhongmin’s shirt was torn near the shoulder.

A bruise was forming along his jaw. His breathing was heavy.

But his eyes were sharp.

"Get him!"

From above, angry shouts echoed.

Several men rushed toward the staircase.

Gui Zhongmin glanced up.

Then cursed.

"Fuck!"

He seized his brother’s arm.

"We need to leave!"

Gui Tian Lan barely heard him. He turned sharply toward the man he had been fighting.

But the stranger was gone.

The space where he had stood was empty.

Gui Tian Lan’s eyes frantically searched the crowd.

’Where is he?’

His jaw tightened.

’Where the hell did he go?!’

He tried pulling his arm free but Gui Zhongmin tightened his grip.

"Lan!"

"Let go!"

"Are you insane?!"

Gui Tian Lan shoved forward.

"I said let go!"

His brother stared at him.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

Gui Tian Lan wasn’t merely angry.

His expression was almost unrecognizable.

But there was no time to question him.

The men were closing in.

"LAN, WE NEED TO GO!"

Gui Zhongmin’s shout finally broke through.

Gui Tian Lan froze.

Then, with visible reluctance, he turned away.

The brothers moved.

They pushed through the scattering crowd, narrowly avoiding the men converging on their location.

Gui Zhongmin spotted a side corridor.

"There!"

They sprinted toward it.

A man lunged for Gui Zhongmin’s shoulder. He twisted free and slammed the man into the wall.

Gui Tian Lan kicked another attacker backward.

Then the brothers burst through a side exit.

Cold winter air struck their faces.

Behind them, furious footsteps echoed.

"STOP!"

Neither brother slowed.

They sprinted through the narrow alley behind Glory.

Snow crunched beneath their shoes.

They rounded one corner.

Then another.

Gui Zhongmin glanced behind them.

Two men were still following.

He grabbed his brother’s sleeve and pulled him through a narrow passage between buildings.

The pursuers rushed past the entrance without noticing them.

The twins remained hidden until the footsteps faded.

Only then did Gui Zhongmin step out.

He bent slightly, catching his breath.

"Fuck!"

He dragged a hand through his hair.

"Fucking hell!"

Gui Tian Lan stood beside him.

Silent.

Motionless.

His fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.

Gui Zhongmin didn’t notice immediately.

He was too busy trying to steady his breathing.

Then the low rumble of an approaching engine reached them.

Gui Zhongmin turned.

A motorcycle rounded the corner.

Its headlight swept across the alley before the rider pulled to a stop beside them.

The engine idled.

Gui Zhongmin readied himself for a fight but sighed in relief when he recognized the vehicle.

The rider lifted his visor, then removed his helmet.

Qi Li.

He had just finished his task at Red Militant.

He looked between the brothers.

His brows drew together ignoring their horrible choice of disguise.

"What happened?"

Gui Zhongmin let out a frustrated groan.

"You wouldn’t believe it."

Qi Li glanced at his torn shirt.

"Try me."

Gui Zhongmin exhaled sharply.

"I met Choi Li Sun."

Qi Li froze.

"What?"

"He was there at Glory."

Gui Zhongmin gestured toward the nightclub behind them.

"He was upstairs."

Qi Li’s expression darkened.

"Are you certain?"

"Absolutely."

Gui Zhongmin’s jaw tightened.

"Shoulder-length blond hair. Scar across the right side of his face. And that damn face from the surveillance footage."

Qi Li swore under his breath.

"Did you get him?"

"I almost did."

Gui Zhongmin rubbed his forehead.

"He came out of a private room with Ji Chu Hua."

Qi Li’s eyes sharpened.

"Ji Chu Hua?"

"Yes."

"The evil witch?"

"Who else?"

Qi Li’s expression grew colder.

Gui Zhongmin continued.

"I went after him. Managed to force him back inside the room."

He clenched his jaw.

"Had him cornered, too."

"What happened?"

"People I can only assume were his men."

Gui Zhongmin gave a humorless laugh.

"About twenty of them came charging into the room."

Qi Li stared at him.

"Twenty?"

"Give or take."

Gui Zhongmin rolled his shoulders.

"I wasn’t exactly counting while they were trying to rearrange my face."

Qi Li frowned.

"And Choi Li Sun?"

"Escaped."

Gui Zhongmin’s expression darkened.

"He dragged Ji Chu Hua out during the fight. I tried going after them, but his men blocked the door."

He glanced toward the direction leading to Glory.

"I fought my way into the corridor, but the stairs were already packed."

Qi Li slowly nodded.

"So you jumped?"

"Not immediately."

Gui Zhongmin scratched his head.

"One of those idiots tried grabbing me near the railing."

He shrugged.

"So I threw him over."

Qi Li stared.

Gui Zhongmin continued casually.

"Then I jumped after him."

For several seconds, Qi Li said nothing.

Then he slowly rubbed his forehead.

"Unbelievable."

Gui Zhongmin spread his hands.

"What? It worked."

Qi Li sighed.

"That’s not the point."

He looked back toward Glory.

"Damn."

His jaw tightened.

"He was right there, and he managed to escape."

The frustration in his voice was unmistakable.

They had been searching for Liu Peng and Choi Li Sun for days.

If anything, he had expected them to cross paths with Liu Peng, who was a far easier target to track down than the elusive Choi Li Sun.

And now, when they finally had a chance to capture him, the man had escaped.

Qi Li reached for his phone.

"We need to tell Liu Shan."

Gui Zhongmin nodded.

"Yeah."

But before Qi Li could make the call, his gaze shifted toward the older twin.

Gui Tian Lan hadn’t spoken once.

He stood a short distance away, staring into the darkness.

His shoulders were rigid.

His hands remained clenched at his sides.

Qi Li frowned.

"What’s wrong with him?"

Gui Zhongmin turned.

Only then did he properly look at his brother.

"Lan?"

No response.

Gui Zhongmin’s brows drew together. He had noticed something strange back at Glory.

The moment he landed beside his brother, Gui Tian Lan looked furious.

Not the usual irritation or cold anger he displayed during a fight.

Something deeper.

Something almost frightening.

But with men chasing them, Gui Zhongmin hadn’t had time to ask.

Now, standing beneath the dim street lights, he finally saw it.

Gui Tian Lan’s face was pale. His eyes were distant.

Yet beneath that haunted expression burned an intensity of rage Gui Zhongmin hadn’t seen in years.

A terrible suspicion began forming in his mind.

He took two steps forward.

"Lan."

His brother didn’t move.

Gui Zhongmin stopped directly in front of him.

"What is it?"

For several seconds, there was no answer.

Gui Tian Lan’s jaw tightened. His throat moved as he swallowed.

He tried speaking but the words wouldn’t come.

The recording echoed through his mind then the man’s words.

’She screamed for you...’

His breathing grew uneven.

He could still hear that laughter.

Still see that grin.

Still feel the overwhelming urge to tear the man apart with his bare hands.

Gui Zhongmin’s expression slowly changed.

"Brother?"

Gui Tian Lan finally raised his eyes.

Their gazes met.

And in that instant, Gui Zhongmin felt something cold settle in his stomach.

He knew that look.

He had seen it before.

Years ago.

After the tragedy that had changed his brother’s life.

After the woman Gui Tian Lan loved had been taken from him.

After they found a recording.

Gui Tian Lan’s lips parted. His voice was barely above a whisper.

"It was him."

Gui Zhongmin frowned.

"What?"

Gui Tian Lan swallowed. His hands trembled.

"It was him."

Gui Zhongmin stared.

"Who are you talking about?"

Gui Tian Lan couldn’t answer. His throat tightened painfully.

But he didn’t need to.

Not anymore.

One look into his brother’s eyes was enough.

Gui Zhongmin’s face drained of color. His breath caught.

For years, he had watched his older twin search for the man responsible.

He had watched him bury his grief beneath a calm smile.

He had watched him pretend to move forward while a part of him remained trapped in the past.

And now—

Gui Zhongmin slowly shook his head.

"No..."

His voice trembled.

He looked at his brother again.

"Lan..."

Gui Tian Lan’s eyes glistened with fury.

His lips tightened then he finally forced the words out.

"The man who killed her."

A terrible silence followed.

Qi Li stood motionless beside his motorcycle. He didn’t need to ask any questions.

He had known the twins long enough to understand their past and the pain they had endured.

Gui Zhongmin stared at his brother, unable to speak.

Gui Tian Lan looked back toward the distant lights of Glory.

His expression grew cold.

Deadly.

"He was there."

His voice was almost unrecognizable.

"He was right there and I let him get away."

His fists tightened.

This time, he didn’t attempt to hide the hatred burning in his eyes.

For years, he had searched for a ghost.

Tonight, that ghost had stood directly in front of him.

Spoken to him.

Laughed at him.

And escaped.

Gui Tian Lan slowly lowered his head.

"I’m going to find him."

His voice was dangerously quiet, each word carrying the weight of a promise forged through years of grief and hatred.

"And when I do..."

His fists clenched so tightly at his sides that his entire body trembled beneath the weight of his barely restrained rage.

"I swear, no matter where he runs or who stands in my way, I will find him."

He slowly raised his eyes, a murderous coldness settling within them.

"And when that day comes, not even death will save him from the fate I have waiting for him."