After leaving the doctor’s office, Li Chen, Sun Weilong, and Wang Mengying were quite emotional. Sun Fang spoke up, "Dad, I think we need a more private space. There are things I think you all need to discuss." Li Chen nodded absentmindedly. Sun Fang quickly made a booking for a private room at Moonlit Mirage restaurant, and they all drove to the location in their respective cars.

On his way to the restaurant, Li Chen had many questions that he wanted to ask Wang Mengying, and he felt like a day was not enough. Deep down, he was happy, happy to know that he had family. They all arrived, and at the front desk, the waiter said, "Good afternoon, Second Young Master Sun. This way, please." Sun Fang and the rest followed the waiter to the private room.

The waiter gave them menus and said, "Please press that red button over there when you are ready to order." Sun Fang replied, "Sure, please give us some privacy." The waiter bowed and left the room. The first person to break the silence was Wang Mengying. She looked at Li Chen and said, "I am sorry I was a coward, son."

Li Chen said, "I have so many questions, but I don’t think today you can answer all of them." Wang Mengying responded, "As long as you give me a chance to be a mother to you. I have missed 24 years of your life." Li Chen retorted, "You have missed all my life. You decided that faking your death and forgetting me was okay, but really, it never was."

Wang Mengying explained, "I hope you can understand that I was trying to protect you. You were a helpless baby then. They would have taken you, and we wouldn’t be having this moment now." Sun Weilong interjected, "Are there people trying to kill you, Sun Lexia?" Wang Mengying admitted, "It will take time for me to get used to that name, but yes. Since I have gotten out of hiding, they might come for me and everyone I love."

Sun Fang declared, "We are family; we can protect you." Wang Mengying chuckled and said, "I have investigated the Sun family. They are powerless when it comes to those people." Sun Weilong responded, "We can at least try if you give us a chance."

Sun Weilong said, "I want to ask, did you already know of your true identity, that is being the long-lost daughter of the Sun family?" Wang Mengying responded, "Let me tell you a story of my life." She picked up a glass of water, took a sip, and continued, "I was raised by Grandma Wang since I could remember. That woman loved me so much. We didn’t have much, but she made sure I had everything I wanted. Of course, she had her own kids who were older than me. They didn’t treat me well, but she chose to kick them out of the house when she found out."

A small smile formed on Wang Mengying’s face, clearly indicating that she had a great childhood. She continued, "I did very well in my studies, and after acing my college entrance exam, Grandma Wang took me out for a small celebration. That’s when she broke the news to me of how she found me in her backyard one rainy day. She said I had a high fever, and she thought I would die. Before she could report the incident, she received an anonymous letter stating that she should not inform the police and raise me like one of her grandchildren. Suspecting that my presence had something to do with dangerous people, she chose to keep me safe and not report it."

Sun Weilong had glassy eyes, tears on the verge, and he said, "Did she know whose child you were?" Wang Mengying replied, "I doubt she did because she said there was nothing that even gave a hint of my identity, and I was wearing a simple pink trouser and purple shirt."

Sun Weilong recalled, "I remember that day you went missing. Dad always wanted us to dress according to our status, but you’d always choose the simplest things in the store when Mom made you choose. That day you insisted on wearing those clothes because Mom had bought them for you the previous day."

Wang Mengying continued, "Grandma Wang kept that outfit, and when we went back home after the meal, she gave it to me. I decided against searching for my real parents up until I got into Shanghai University. There was this particular day when there was a charity event that was all over the news, and Madam Sun had cut the ribbon for a new orphanage."

Sun Weilong added, "After you went missing, my mother went from orphanage to orphanage searching. She then developed a coping mechanism of donating to those orphanages until she died."

Sun Fang and Li Chen sat there, listening to this story, feeling like they had nothing to add since they were not there. Wang Mengying carried on and said, "Then I saw Madam Wang. One of my friends joked about how I looked like a younger version of her. Knowing my story, I got curious when she kept insisting on it. I started searching the Sun family, and lo and behold, they had lost a daughter who was three years old. The description of the clothing matched perfectly with what Grandma Wang said she found me wearing, and I knew then and there that I was Sun Lixia, the kidnapped daughter of the high and mighty Sun family."

Sun Weilong expressed, "I am sorry, sister. It was my fault you went missing. If I hadn’t told you to go out with none of this would have happened." Wang Mengying, now addressed as Sun Lixia, responded, "It’s not your fault. They would have gotten the chance to take me anytime."

Sun Fang interjected, "But why didn’t you come forward?" Sun Lixia explained, "Because I was scared. The Sun family is too rich; they scared me, a girl raised in a village back then." Sun Fang nodded and said, "I see." Sun Lixia continued, "Years went by, and I kept being updated on everything happening within the Sun family. Then I got married; things got a little complicated with my job and everything, so I chose to stay away from then on."

Sun Weilong asked, "And when Mom passed?" Sun Lixia replied, "I got a spy to install a small camera, and I watched her funeral where I was. I cried for days, knowing that if I had revealed myself, she wouldn’t have died so early."

Sun Lixia’s voice trembled as she continued, "After losing my husband and being forced to leave my child behind, staying in hiding, I knew that I couldn’t involve you guys in my own mess. I had developed so many feelings for all of you. I kept updated on everything—your wedding, when your first son was born, and when you, Sun Fang, came into the world, to the part of you losing your wife."

Sun Weilong’s eyes welled up with tears as he expressed, "I was broken when she died." Sun Lixia replied, her own voice tinged with sorrow, "I know, brother, and I hate myself. If I was there, maybe it would have been better. I watched you fall into depression from a distance but couldn’t do anything about it." She then turned to Li Chen, her gaze heavy with regret, and said, "As for you, son, I watched you living in misery. But with my mind set on protecting you, I felt like it was better you living like that than being dead. I know I was selfish, but I preferred knowing that I could at least get a picture of you sent to me every day. Knowing you are alive is all that kept me going."

Li Chen’s voice trembled with a mix of relief and joy as he finally spoke, "I am happy you are alive and well, Mom." Sun Lixia, overwhelmed by years of anticipation, burst into tears, whispering, "I waited for 24 years to hear you call me that." Li Chen, his own emotions surfacing, reassured her, "I am old enough to understand the position you were in."

Sun Lixia, still emotional, expressed her gratitude, her words laden with a mother’s love, "Thank you, son. I promise from now on, I will be here. I would rather die protecting you." Li Chen’s eyes darkened with a newfound determination, and he replied, "It’s my turn to protect you." The weight of their shared history hung heavy in the air.

The shift in Li Chen’s demeanor didn’t go unnoticed by Sun Lixia. Her heart skipped a beat, a mix of fear and concern settling in. She knew changes were happening in Li Chen’s DNA, and she couldn’t help but be scared of what he would become.

Sun Lixia, attempting to lighten the atmosphere, said with a tender smile, "Hey, I am not that old." Li Chen chuckled, but the lingering coldness in his eyes was still visible. Undeterred, Li Chen said, "I am 24; you had me after college, and I assume you were what, 24?" She revealed, "I was 25." Li Chen pointed out matter-of-factly, "That makes you 49." Sun Weilong chimed in, "You age very well, sister. You look 30." Laughter filled the room, a momentary release of tension.

As the laughter subsided, Sun Lixia heaved a sigh of relief inwardly, making a mental note that changes occurred when Li Chen was upset. The reunion, marked by a rollercoaster of emotions, had brought them together, forging a path towards a new Chapter in their lives.