Qi Ran drew out the final two sheets, along with a marriage certificate.
Contrary to her expectations, these last two sheets were not personal files and medical reports like the previous ones. They were two strange, slightly yellowed notarial certificates. The information was quite simple. After a brief read, Qi Ran understood: these were two identical birth certificates — both bearing her name, Qi Ran.
She spread the two birth certificates side by side, comparing them. Her gaze paused momentarily upon reaching the personal information section. On the first birth certificate, the gender listed after her name was male. The birth date was also wrong. This boy named Qi Ran was born in September of the year 2001.
She turned her gaze to the second certificate. All the information on the second one was correct.
The marriage certificate was even more ordinary, showing no anomalies whatsoever. The registration date was ’97 — at that time, Li Wanying and Qi Jianguo were twenty and twenty-two years old, respectively, having just reached the legal age for marriage.
Inside the red-background photo, a young man and a girl, their faces still holding traces of youthful naivety, stood side by side. Their expressions were somewhat uneasy, shoulders pressed tightly together, slightly awkward. Yet, their expressions alone made it clear: in that moment, they were genuinely happy.
“What are these things trying to convey?” She lifted her head to ask Xie Liusheng, who sat in the front passenger seat.
“Both of these birth certificates were found at Qi Jianguo’s place,” Xie Liusheng said. “Combined with the previous reports, what comes to mind?”
“Nothing comes to mind,” Qi Ran said quietly. “Why don’t you just speak more plainly?”
“Since Miss Qi has no leads, I’ll boldly offer my humble opinion,” Xie Liusheng sighed lightly. “First, there is at least one fact we can confirm now: the decline of the Xie Family is likely inseparable from Qi Jianguo. He swore allegiance to the Tao Family from a very young age. For the following thirty years, he consistently portrayed himself as a worthless, second-generation rich wastrel…”
He paused, letting out a soft chuckle. “Of course, here I’m more inclined to think it was his true nature coming through. Otherwise, I can’t imagine how brilliant someone’s acting would need to be to perform every single detail so perfectly, deceiving absolutely everyone.”
Liu Xu, hands gripping the steering wheel, glanced up at the rearview mirror. In the reflection, the girl with the streak of blue hidden in her hair simply sat quietly, neither nodding nor shaking her head. He only stole that single glance before shifting his gaze away.
“Li Wanying and Li Siwen were the same,” Xie Liusheng continued. “She and Qi Jianguo became a couple on the surface, marrying smoothly in ’97. But clearly, unlike a superficial couple, genuine feelings did develop between them. Thus, in the year 2000, Li Wanying gave birth to their eldest daughter, Qi Xin. Like many families that value sons over daughters, they violated the one-child policy. In 2001, their second child, a son named Qi Ran, was born. To avoid fines, they did something very bold…” Xie Liusheng’s voice was low, his tone remarkably flat. “They didn’t go to a hospital but instead delivered the child in the countryside. After this boy was born, they delayed for almost half a year before seeking connections to register the boy’s household.”
He paused, then continued, “You can look at the first birth certificate. Before the police station’s name, there should be a parenthesis indicating the year the certificate was processed.”
Qi Ran looked down at the document — just as Xie Liusheng had said, the date on the first birth certificate was 2002, while the second was from 2006.
“One of them is fake?” Qi Ran asked quietly.
“No, it’s worse than that,” Xie Liusheng said. “Both of them are real.”
Both are real? Qi Ran suddenly froze. She had a vague guess at a possibility, a truly terrible one.
“In 2006, Qi Jianguo went to register the birth again. This time, it caused a huge scandal. Because his so-called second son wasn’t actually a son at all, but a daughter. Moreover, she wasn’t some second-born daughter. It was all a charade staged by him and Li Wanying to save face. They had originally had twin daughters, but such a thing was a disgrace for Qi Jianguo. So, they deliberately hid the second child, then pretended to have had a second son in the countryside.”
He Ling, sitting to Qi Ran’s left, spoke in a low voice, “I remember this incident. On the forum, there was a once-popular section where someone dug up all of Qi Jianguo’s past antics and set up a dedicated ‘Qi Jianguo Zone’… After all, not everyone can live their life in such a vermin-like, dramatic fashion.”
Xie Liusheng paused, then said in a deep, drawn-out tone:
“What’s interesting is, the very midwife who was rumored to be a fabrication, the one who delivered Li Wanying’s baby — we found her. She had a very strong impression of this couple, Qi Jianguo and Li Wanying. Because even by rural standards, Qi Jianguo was a bizarre spectacle. The moment the baby was delivered, the first thing he did was check if it had a handle. Upon finding that it indeed did, the couple embraced and wept. So the midwife can confirm: their second child was a boy.”
He Ling was stunned.
“The lie became the truth, and the truth became the lie,” Xie Liusheng sighed. “I have to admit, Qi Jianguo’s move was sheer genius. Everyone was waiting to see a clown. So, he simply performed the most clownish, laughable act possible. That way, no one would suspect the truth of the matter; they’d focus only on mocking him. After all, that was his established image. Everyone would simply think: This matter is utterly absurd, but if it’s Qi Jianguo doing it, it’s not surprising at all.”
“Wait,” He Ling hesitated. “Brother Liusheng, you’re saying the incident in 2006 was fake? His second child really was a son? Then why would he do that?”
“A cuckoo in the nest,” Nan Qiang, sitting to Qi Ran’s right, suddenly murmured.
“Bingo,” Xie Liusheng snapped his fingers with a smile. “He Ling, your moral bottom line is still too high… Remember that question you asked me before?”
“Why does favoring sons over daughters actually lead to fewer girls?” He Ling recalled.
Logically, if a family valued sons, they would keep having children if they had daughters until they got a son, and stop once a son was born. Shouldn’t there then be more girls in total? That question had indeed troubled him for a while, until Xie Liusheng cleared up his confusion.
— Xie Liusheng had said He Ling was troubled by this because his moral baseline was too high. He assumed that every girl born must be raised, not thrown into a river or chopped up to feed pigs. Sometimes, things you can’t figure out seem that way precisely because your moral baseline is too high. When you lower the baseline, you discover the problem is actually quite clear and simple.
Thinking of this, He Ling stiffened, muttering in disbelief, “Qi Jianguo did have a daughter and a son. But in 2006, he disposed of both children and then had a pair of twin girls take their place…?”
He struggled to control himself, preventing his gaze from drifting towards the girl with her head bowed to his right, a slight chill creeping up the back of his neck.
“That is my speculation as well,” Xie Liusheng sighed softly. “Qi Jianguo went through this enormous rigmarole for one purpose: to conceal the true identities of Qi Xin and Qi Ran… Miss Qi, do you understand now? This is the intelligence we currently possess. It is also the reason we needed to find you.”
“What I know is not more than what you know,” Qi Ran broke the silence, her voice low. “I can only recall events from after I was six years old. Before that, I know nothing.”
“Don’t worry, Miss Qi. On this point, I believe you. You truly know nothing,” Xie Liusheng chuckled lightly. “So, consider this an invitation as well. Our goals are aligned. Why not cooperate?”
“Cooperate?” Qi Ran asked.
“Of course,” Xie Liusheng’s voice was quite persuasive. “Think of it as a grand gamble. I, and those behind me, are all willing to stake everything we have on the bet that you, Qi Ran, are exactly the key connecting to the Tao Family Ancient Mansion. And all that’s required of you is one single thing: to join us. Nothing more, nothing less.”
With that, he produced another envelope and handed it to Qi Ran. She reached out and took it. The envelope was very thin. Opening it, she found only a simply designed black credit card inside.
“This is merely a token of sincerity,” Xie Liusheng said softly. His tone reminded Qi Ran of a devil from myth, one that beguiles the human heart. He probably would have made a fine kingpin in a pyramid scheme. “Once you join us, you will soon understand that these things are mere worldly possessions. What we share amongst ourselves is something of true value.”
“Truly generous,” Qi Ran was silent for a long while before finally speaking again. She took out the black credit card; its surface was slightly rigid. “I have two conditions.”
“Name them,” Xie Liusheng said.
“First, I need someone. Jiang Zhique. Li Siwen is now dead. As it stands, she is ‘clean’,” Qi Ran said.
“A fine suggestion,” Xie Liusheng nodded slightly. “We would naturally welcome the Jiang Family into the fold.”
“Second,” Qi Ran said, “Drive to 98 Zuoquan Road. Now.”
She paused, then looked towards Liu Xu in the driver’s seat. “And, he needs to come with me.”
