Knowing she couldn’t hide things from the woman in front of her, Shen Mengqi didn’t intend to hide anything either. She said it just to lighten the mood, but it didn’t have the desired effect.

With a helpless curve at the corner of her mouth, she gave the other person a three-word name: "An Liyang."

Lan Xinxixi found the name familiar but couldn’t recall where she had heard or seen it before.

As she was trying hard to remember.

Shen Mengqi’s words solved her confusion: "An Liyang, the eldest young master of the An Family, An Nan’s brother, and it seems he is also the one you’re currently investigating."

Lan Xinxixi instantly had a look of sudden realization: "Is this why you came to my team?"

Cases in the Police Station are clearly divided, and are only transferred to another team if one team cannot resolve them.

If she wanted to participate in this case, coming to her team was a reasonable explanation, but it raised more questions in her mind.

"Do you care a lot about this case?"

Shen Mengqi continued to shake her head: "That’s not the right way to put it; I should say I care a lot about Nannan’s matters."

Suddenly, Lan Xinxixi’s mood became clear. Gradually, her expression became heavy again. After pausing for a while, she continued, "Do you think An Liyang’s return this time might be harmful to Nannan?"

Upon hearing her question, Shen Mengqi showed no surprise, but remained candid: "Yes, I’m worried, really worried. If we really tally it up, I grew up with An Liyang. I understand that man’s personality very well. Based on his past behavior, he wouldn’t willingly be away for so long, but the fact is, he hasn’t come back in all these years, which is not normal. So, I need to know why he returned this time and what his motives are."

Shen Mengqi rarely talked about her personal matters. Suddenly hearing her say she grew up with An Liyang piqued Lan Xinxixi’s curiosity even more.

Seeing the doubts in her heart, Shen Mengqi continued to explain, "Didn’t I tell you I’m an orphan?"

Without observing the shock on her face, she continued, "Both Ouyang Lei, the director, and I are orphans. We were taken out of the orphanage by Nannan, so we lived with the An Family for a while. That’s why I said I grew up with An Liyang."

This was a lot of information for Lan Xinxixi to process; she pointed towards the director’s office, looking shocked and in disbelief.

Shen Mengqi nodded firmly, speaking indifferently, "Don’t be skeptical, what you heard is fact. Many people in the bureau know; maybe you haven’t been here long enough to find out. But really, it doesn’t matter. There are so many orphans in this world, and we’re just two of them. Besides, our situations turned out much better than others’, so there’s nothing to complain about. Perhaps if we’d stayed with our original families, we might not have lived as well as now. That’s why I have a deep sense of gratitude. To me, Nannan is like a sister, a best friend, or even my savior. If it wasn’t for her insistence on taking both Ouyang Lei and me out of the orphanage back then, who knows what would’ve become of us."