After the two finished discussing those matters, Gao Min suddenly asked a question: "Sister, do you hate our biological parents?"
Liu Yutong was looking down at a text message on her phone and paused for a moment. "Why the sudden question?"
Gao Min said softly, "It just came to me. I was just curious."
"If we had grown up in a normal family, maybe our lives would be completely different now. Maybe we'd be happier."
Liu Yutong put away her phone and looked up at her. "I don't hate them. Hate has no meaning. They chose their path, and we chose ours. I think the way things are now, I feel content and fulfilled."
Gao Min was momentarily stunned, then smiled. "You're always like this — so calm it doesn't seem like you're a twenty-year-old girl. Sometimes I wonder who's really the older sister."
"But you're right. Hate doesn't matter, and dwelling on the past doesn't change anything."
With Zhao Weixiang's capture, along with their own investigations over the past two years, they had essentially pieced together their origins.
Gao Min's foster father, Gao Shubai, and their biological father, Liu Lei, had once been close brothers who graduated from the same police academy.
After graduation, both found the loves of their lives and even planned a joint wedding.
But Gao Shubai's girlfriend later discovered she had acute leukemia and tragically passed away. He was a very devoted man; her death hit him hard, and he swore never to marry.
Later, Liu Lei was assigned a highly dangerous undercover mission where he could be exposed at any moment, making it impossible to care for his family or his newborn child. So he entrusted his infant daughter, Gao Min, to his good brother, Gao Shubai.
One reason was to give his daughter a relatively safe environment to grow up in, with a clean background.
The other was to provide Gao Shubai with a sense of purpose, to keep him from falling into despair.
That was how Gao Min's origins unfolded.
As for Liu Yutong, it was highly likely that Liu Lei had no idea she even existed.
Later, Gao Shubai was attacked and stabbed during an investigation. Liu Lei was present and could have saved his brother, but Gao Shubai used all his strength to stop him. If Liu Lei intervened, it would expose his undercover identity, rendering all their previous efforts meaningless.
Liu Lei ultimately chose to trust his brother, but Gao Shubai didn't survive...
After that, Liu Lei's personality changed drastically. Feeling he had nothing left to lose and nothing to hold him back, he launched a relentless campaign to crush other gangs, driving himself further down a path of no return.
Eventually, those in power decided he had become uncontrollable and arranged for his elimination...
After Liu Yutong and Gao Min fully understood their origins, they couldn't deny it was hard to accept. But the past was already set, beyond change.
A moment of silence passed.
Gao Min sniffled, suppressing the sadness in her heart, and asked again, "What if our biological mother comes looking for us? What should we do?"
As the one hidden figure in their origin story, their feelings toward that biological mother were far more complicated.
Of course, it wasn't impossible that she had her own difficult reasons.
Liu Yutong's answer was simple: "She can look, but whether we acknowledge her or not is up to us."
Deep down, she held no hope of meeting their mother. Even in her previous life, she had never seen her. Of course, it was possible that in her past life, she left her hometown after getting into college and never returned, with no one knowing where she was, so they missed each other.
This time, her presence had already shifted things. For instance, she had never met Yun Cheng in her past life, but now she had. It was possible.
But even if their mother came looking for her now, she probably wouldn't acknowledge her.
From the moment her mother chose to leave her behind, something had already broken.
If she hadn't worked hard enough, if her grandparents hadn't supported her back then, her life might have ended up like so many other girls in rural towns — dropping out early, being forced into marriage at a young age, becoming a village woman, muddling through life.
Besides, before meeting each other, both sides only imagined the other's image, viewing it through a natural filter.
But once they met, that filter could easily shatter.
If she had really become a poorly educated, unemployed village woman with a child trailing behind her, her skin weathered, would her mother truly want to acknowledge her?
Probably not.
But those assumptions weren't important to her.
As she had said, the power was in their hands.
Gao Min looked at her sister and understood her stance. She nodded.
"I get it now."
"No matter what, we're sisters. Your decision is my decision."
Liu Yutong said, "Why waste time thinking about that? It's uncertain. I don't think she'll come looking. Right now, we should focus on how to arrange things for Jiang Yuan. The birthday banquet is an opportunity, and we need to plan carefully."
The two sisters talked for a while longer.
Seeing how late it was and that they had finished eating, they got ready to turn in.
Liu Yutong took the black coat that Lan Die handed her and put it on. The golden dragon emblem on the left chest glittered.
"Let's go."
"Yeah."
Gao Min stood up as well. The two walked side by side out of the private room, with Yun Cheng and Ma Da following behind.
They had just stepped out of the private room when they heard a sudden burst of cheers from the crowd downstairs.
Then, someone started leading a group in singing the birthday song. It turned out that some college students were celebrating a birthday party for a classmate in the restaurant.
"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you..."
The singing was cheerful. Since there were a lot of college students dining in the main hall tonight and that group loves excitement, many people joined in clapping and singing, creating a lively scene.
From a corner, Lin Dong, Lin Feng, and Jiang Lu watched the spirited young people.
"Look at these kids. So lively, so full of energy."
"Yeah! At this age, carefree and spending time with friends — this is probably the happiest time of their lives."
Jiang Lu thought of her own daughter. "When Tongtong's birthday comes, I wonder if she celebrates it like this with her classmates too?"
Lin Feng tried to comfort her, "Auntie, don't overthink it. For all we know, Tongtong might be popular and have an even more exciting birthday celebration than this."
"When we find her, we can throw her a big party. We'll hire the best pastry chef and go all out."
"Mm."
Just then, the birthday girl puffed up her cheeks and blew out all the candles on the cake in one breath. The surrounding group erupted in even louder cheers and applause.
Jiang Lu quietly applauded along, imagining her daughter making a wish in the candlelight, momentarily lost in thought.
Just as they were about to cut the cake, Liu Yutong and her group walked out of the private room and appeared at the top of the stairs.
The moment they appeared, the cheers in the hall came to an abrupt halt.
Some diners who were eating involuntarily put down their chopsticks and stood up, staring at the group of people in black on the stairs.
Lin Dong's family was taken aback by this sudden change in atmosphere.
A birthday party going so smoothly—why had it suddenly become so quiet? Was there some special ceremony about to take place?
But they soon understood why the students and guests had fallen silent—a group of people in black was descending the stairs.
The diners and college students who had been eating in the main hall looked at this group with awe, even a hint of tension in their eyes.
The two girls at the front were especially striking.
On the left was a tall young woman in a long black coat that accentuated her cold, aloof aura. She exuded an imposing presence, as if she were born to stand at the top of the hierarchy.
On the right was a young woman of similar height, with a sharp, short haircut that framed her handsome, assertive features. She, too, carried an undeniable air of authority.
Behind them followed several young men, all dressed in black suits with a dragon emblem pinned to the left chest. Their solemn expressions made it clear they were no ordinary people.
The diners' first reaction upon seeing them was, "I didn't expect so many high-ranking members of the Ten Thousand Dragon Society to be dining here as well."
There was reverence in their faces, but also a barely contained excitement.
Lin Dong narrowed his eyes, carefully studying the two girls at the front—especially the one in the black coat. She looked no more than twenty years old, yet she had a commanding presence that felt deeply ingrained, as if she were destined for the pinnacle of power.
The people behind her were clearly no ordinary individuals either.
This Pearl City might not be big, but it was full of hidden talent.
Jiang Lu, meanwhile, was stunned. Her eyes widened in disbelief.
The girl in black walking on the left—the one with the powerful aura—was none other than the "little sister" she had chatted with so warmly on the plane and felt an instant connection to.
The girl's current image was a far cry from the quiet, bookish, girl-next-door type she had met on the plane, holding a stack of professional texts. Now, she was far more intimidating.
At that moment, Lin Feng couldn't help asking, "Dad, who do you think that girl in black is? It feels like everyone here is afraid of her."
Lin Dong didn't answer. He just stared at the dragon-shaped emblem on the left chest of each person in the group. The symbol looked familiar... Ah, he remembered—the head waiter in black at the restaurant had worn the same emblem.
So, this must be the Ten Thousand Dragon Society those students had been talking about.
And these people were likely core members of the society, holding very high status, or else the students wouldn't have reacted this way.
But they were so young!
Young enough to be almost unbelievable.
Liu Yutong was long accustomed to this kind of scene. Her gaze fell on the birthday girl wearing a crown. She nodded slightly in her direction and offered a faint smile.
The girl, flustered that Liu Yutong had noticed her and even smiled and greeted her, blushed deeply and blurted out, "Senior! I... I'm your idol! No, wait—you're my idol!"
Liu Yutong hadn't expected the girl to dare speak to her. She smiled and asked, "Are you from the University of Finance and Economics too?"
The girl nodded vigorously. "Senior, I'm in the same major as you—Business Administration. I really, truly admire you!"
Liu Yutong offered her a blessing. "Happy birthday, junior!"
"Thank you, Senior! Thank you!" The girl's voice trembled with excitement.
The other students in the hall were incredibly envious, seeing that the legendary heiress of the Ten Thousand Dragon Society was so approachable and had even personally offered birthday wishes.
Liu Yutong called over a waiter and whispered something.
The waiter immediately understood and walked briskly to the table celebrating the birthday. Smiling, he announced to the entire hall:
"Dear students and honored guests, and especially our birthday girl today. Our boss has said that tonight, this table—and the bills for all guests in the venue—are on the house! Consider this a birthday gift from Yuyue Fang to our birthday senior, and a token of thanks to all our student and customer friends for your continued support!"
The hall fell silent for a moment, then erupted into cheers even more fervent and excited than before.
"WOW——!!"
"Thank you, Liu Yutong! You're amazing!"
"Thank you, boss!"
"Yuyue Fang rules!"
"Birthday girl, you've got such clout! The senior really came through for you!"
"..."
The birthday table in particular was bursting with excitement. The students' faces were flushed bright red, and a few boys even jumped up.
They might not have known Liu Yutong personally, but the name of the Ten Thousand Dragon Society's heiress was legendary throughout Pearl City, especially around the university district.
Getting a free meal and a blessing from this legendary senior was something they could brag about for years!
The birthday girl herself was so moved she was almost in tears, silently vowing to work hard and try to join the Ten Thousand Dragon Society.
Amid the lively atmosphere, Liu Yutong gave a light wave to the diners and guests, then turned and led her group out of the restaurant.
Just as they were about to get into their cars, an excited voice called out behind her.
"Please wait a moment!"
Liu Yutong paused and turned around. There, running out of the restaurant, was the "big sister" she had met on the plane, her face alight with surprise.
Behind Jiang Lu followed her husband and son, both of whom also had distinguished auras—clearly her family.
A flicker of surprise passed through Liu Yutong's eyes, and she greeted her politely, "What a coincidence, big sister. I didn't expect to run into you here again."
Jiang Lu beamed. "Yes! What a coincidence! Meeting again here—it must be fate!"
The surprise and excitement on her face were genuine. Meeting the girl again here felt like destiny was helping her find her daughter.
"By the way, last time we chatted, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Jiang Lu, this is my husband Lin Dong, and this is my son Lin Feng." She introduced the father and son behind her.
But the moment Liu Yutong heard the name "Jiang Lu," her gaze sharpened almost imperceptibly.
Jiang Lu?
Wasn't that the name of her biological mother?
In that instant, a flood of thoughts and complex emotions surged within her. She forcibly suppressed her inner turmoil, maintaining her polite composure, and asked calmly, "Are you... here looking for someone?"
Hearing this, Jiang Lu immediately abandoned any thought of asking for the girl's contact information or name, and eagerly said, "Yes! I mentioned on the plane that I was searching for my long-lost daughter, and you encouraged me to keep looking. Now I've gotten a lead—she should be in Pearl City, studying at the University of Finance and Economics. My daughter's nickname is Tongtong, and her full name is Liu Yutong. Do you know her? If you do, could you..."
She didn't get to finish her sentence.
Liu Yutong suddenly spoke, her tone icy as she cut her off: "Sorry, I have something urgent to attend to, so I'll be going now."
She didn't give Jiang Lu any chance to respond or press further, and said to Yun Cheng and the others, "Let's go."
Yun Cheng quickly walked to the roadside and pulled open the door of the Maybach.
Once Liu Yutong was seated inside, the others got into their respective cars and started up to leave immediately.
Lin Dong and the others watched the convoy of black cars drive away, their smiles gradually freezing on their faces.
What the hell.
Everything was going so well just now—why the sudden change of heart?
Are women always this fickle?
More importantly, even if she's busy, she could have at least left her contact information!
