Unfolding The Secrets

Han Yun Xiang accepted the box.

He more or less already knew what's inside but he wanted to be sure.

The combination key lock made Han Yun Xiang puzzled.

How would he know how to unlock it?

Could it be his birthday?

As he tried and it indeed opened, he felt amused.

His complexion darkened the moment he saw what's inside.

"Father?" Seeing the changes of his mood, Han Meixiu started to worry.

Han Yun Xiang tightly closed his eyes and breathed in and out heavily before responding.

"It's nothing."

"Nothing? But..."

"It's the contract of my 'training' in black.com." Han Yun Xiang answered and started to read the content.

Han Meixiu quietly waited for him to finish. Her father might not tell her everything but at least he would give her some information to pacify her curiosity, right?

But after reading, Han Yun Xiang leaned backwards and placed his free arm on his head.

"Meixiu, can you give me some time alone?"

"O...okay..." Han Meixiu reluctantly left the room. It was also the time that a call from Li Xiaozhi came in.

"Meixiu! Are you okay???" There was a panic on her voice.

"Yes, of course. Why?" Han Meixiu asked feeling confused.

"I just checked my email today and it almost exploded! There were emails from so many people I don't even know! Asking about you and such. I didn't know you were that famous back then." Li Xiaozhi said.

"Oh, that must be connected to a certain event recently."

"Yeah, I've read some news about it. But I'm not calling because of that."

"Then about what?"

"I received an email saying it must be hard on you now that your parents are dead."

"WHAT?!?!" Han Meixiu's voice was too loud that made the security along the corridor surprised.

She was just talking to her father and now he's declared as dead?

"I was shocked, too. But what if it's true? What if your mother was no longer in coma and eventually... then your father followed."

Right, Xiao Xiao didn't know that the woman her father was taking care of wasn't really her mother but her mother's rival and enemy.

"I don't know. Honestly."

"I'll try to find some clues about it."

"Don't burden yourself Xiao Xiao. If your brother found out again that you're snooping around, then you might really be under house arrest."

"I'll be really careful."

"It's okay. I need some time to think. Please don't do anything about my parent's case for now." Han Meixiu calmly said.

Her head started to ache after she ended the call. She walked along the corridor several times before she knocked on her father's room again.

After hearing his voice giving her the permission to enter, she quickly came in and sat on her favorite place.

"Something wrong?" Han Yun Xiang noticed the confusion on Han Meixiu's face.

"Father, someone said you and mother are dead."

Instead of getting worried, Han Yun Xiang chuckled.

"You're mom probably arranged it."

It was the most reasonable thing to do.

Indeed, Han Yun Xiang and Zhang Huiling of the past are already dead.

They are no longer the way they were decades ago.

"But why?"

"Did you get involve into something big that attracted too much attention?"

"Uh-huh..." Han Meixiu said and explained what happened to her father.

"You became famous. Since that was the case, people would definitely search about your family. If they would find out that were simply missing, speculations would form everywhere. It might get the attention of corrupted people that might harm you in the end."

"But if both of you are dead, then there's no more speculations. But I wonder how did both of you 'died'?"

"You can probably search it on line. But do it later. Let's check the list we got from yesterday. Remember don't turn on any internet connection on it."

Han Meixiu followed and after few minutes, she asked another set of questions.

"These are just code names, right?"

"Yeah. Nobody in black.com uses their own names."

After scanning the list, Han Yun Xiang felt delighted.

"I was given a good set of options. It's clear that my request ignited her interest."

"Which should we choose?"

"Red."

"Should we reply now."

"We have to use email scheduler."

"Oh...cool."

Email scheduler allowed the user to send the email on the later date he will specify. That was what he used when he sent the request.

After finishing the reply, Han Meixiu stood up.

"Father, starting tomorrow I won't be able to come often. I have work."

"Don't worry. I will not be going anywhere."

Han Yun Xiang chuckled as Han Meixiu's voice sounded like she was threatening him to not do unnecessary things.

The young woman contentedly smiled.

"By the way, father do you know Mr. Di?"

"Mr Di?"

"I'm not really sure what is his profession but he knows both you and mom."

Han Yun Xiang pondered. If someone knew both of them, then that person must have been their friend in the past.

"Probably. Did he tell you something about us?" He answered safely.

"Not really much. But I was just puzzled when he asked me about Mingxia."

The mention of his niece's name made Han Yun Xiang halted breathing.

'That's definitely D! He's still alive!'

They were indeed friends and trained together. Later on both of them became single lettered member.

D knew him even before he started dating Zhang Huiling. He was an intelligent man who was in love with his girlfriend that time.

If he would talk about his Ling Ling, D would do the same about the love of his life.

But D changed when the woman was married off to his brother, Han Yun Yuan. It was also the time that Han Yun Xiang started to question his father's actions.

"Also, he said that he was the one who 'rescued' mom out of the Han residence."

"I see." Han Yun Xiang softly answered.

It was probably because he wanted to see his beloved, too that's why he accepted that mission.

It must have been a dangerous one since black.com was wiped out in Q City and no back up could help him if he screwed up.

"You made him happy."

"Eh?"

"Telling him about Mingxia..."

Han Meixiu's brain didn't want to go to the direction her thoughts were going.

'But damn!'

Her curiosity was killing her.

"But....but...father..."

"My brother is gay. He could never touch a woman." Han Yun Xiang nonchalantly answered.

"Then.....Mingxia?"

"How did you meet him?" Han Yun Xiang was curious. D has been in hiding and even him couldn't find his shadow, yet his daughter was able to even had a conversation with him.

Han Meixiu was a bit rebellious. His father clearly wanted to avoid the topic and changed it swiftly.

But she wouldn't spill the beans unless he would answer her first.

She pouted for a while before she spoke again.

"Father, don't avoid my question."

"Whatever you're thinking, that is correct."

Han Meixiu's lips opened and closed but the words weren't coming out.

Since Han Meixiu was a bit hesitant to speak afterwards, han Yun Xiang thought she must be in a dilemma of telling him where she met D.

"I think it's time for you to go. Why don't you surprise your husband and visit him?" Han Yun Xiang gently suggested.

Just like his daughter, he also wanted to calm down his thoughts.

His daughter.

She knows more than he expected.

When Han Meixiu walked out of the door, she was still in shock.

'Does Mingxia know?' She asked herself.