"Come in, sister!"
As Liu Yutong spoke, Jiang Lu turned at the sound of her voice, not even having a chance to ask anything before her gaze eagerly fixed on the door.
With a soft click, the door pushed open.
That short-haired girl—the Senior Assistant who had been sent out by Liu Yutong earlier—walked back in.
She stood there, her posture straight and tall, her features carrying a hint of valor and righteousness.
Jiang Lu's gaze moved from her face to Liu Yutong's, then back again.
The two faces were four or five parts alike.
Especially those eyes—they seemed cast from the same mold.
"You... you are... Nian Nian?"
Upon hearing this, Gao Min looked over at Liu Yutong.
Liu Yutong gave her a slight nod.
With that silent signal, Gao Min stepped forward to stand before Jiang Lu, looking at the tearful woman in front of her.
"My father was Gao Shubai."
"My name is Gao Min. My father—my adoptive father, that is—gave me this name."
Jiang Lu's whole body shook.
Gao Shubai...
Wasn't that the name of Liu Lei's best brother?
"So that's it... so that's it! Liu Lei, you kept this from me so cruelly!"
Jiang Lu's tears burst forth instantly.
Her eldest daughter, who had gone missing shortly after birth. The daughter she had searched for so many years.
So she had been alive all along.
So Liu Lei had secretly given her away to his best brother, Gao Shubai.
So she had been right here in Bright Pearl City, right beside her own biological sister.
And she, as the mother, had known nothing.
Jiang Lu could no longer hold back her longing. She rushed forward and threw her arms around Gao Min.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Nian Nian. Mommy sorry—I've let you suffer..."
Gao Min's body stiffened slightly. She stood there, not moving, letting herself be held.
After a moment, she raised her hand and gently patted Jiang Lu on the back.
"Don't cry."
Jiang Lu slowly lifted her head, wiped away her tears, and carefully studied Gao Min's features.
Gao Min looked back at her, her expression complex.
"You... well... take it slow... we'll talk later."
She didn't directly call her "Mom"—she held back at the crucial moment—but she didn't refuse to acknowledge her either. It was, in a way, a tacit acceptance.
Jiang Lu looked at her, then turned to glance at the younger daughter she truly wanted to hug but dared not, nodded desperately, and choked out: "Good... good... Mommy will wait for you both... Mommy can wait."
She knew it was unrealistic to expect to be called "Mom" on the first meeting, especially since both daughters were so independent and outstanding.
Standing to one side, Lin Dong's gaze swept back and forth between Gao Min and Liu Yutong. His heart was churning with mixed emotions.
One was the child of a martyr, a First-Class Police Inspector, upright and honorable, with limitless prospects.
One was dressed in black as dark as ink, exuding overwhelming presence, commanding a hundred-billion-dollar commercial empire, with thousands of subordinates in black, holding absolute sway over Bright Pearl City.
One burned bright red, thoroughly class-conscious.
One was black to the extreme, inscrutably deep.
And they were blood sisters after all.
Lin Dong then looked at his own son, who still hadn't snapped out of his daze, and felt a surge of envy.
Look at those two daughters of hers!
It's not about comparing goods, but about comparing people!
His own reckless kid, compared to them, was practically worthless.
In the end, neither Liu Yutong nor Gao Min uttered that word "Mom."
The family reunion concluded rather hastily.
However, Jiang Lu's mood had clearly improved. At the very least, the boulder that had weighed on her heart for twenty years was lifted. She knew her two daughters were alive and well.
As for formal recognition, there would always be time. Tomorrow was another day.
"Alright, that concludes today's conversation."
"Mr. Lin, remember your promise," Liu Yutong said.
Lin Dong snapped out of his thoughts and nodded.
"Don't worry. I, Lin Dong, keep my word."
"I'll arrange things for Miss Gao as soon as possible. Next week is the eightieth birthday celebration of the old lady of the Jiang family in the Imperial Capital. I'll take Miss Gao there to make an appearance. I'll introduce her under the Lin family's name, so some of the key people can get to know her."
Liu Yutong gave a slight nod, indicating her satisfaction. "Then I'll be counting on you, Mr. Lin."
Lin Feng, overhearing their conversation, was still dazed and confused.
Wait, that's it?
He looked at Gao Min, then at Liu Yutong, and suddenly felt like he—the young master of the Imperial Capital Lin family—was nothing more than a little brother before them.
No, not even a little brother. At best, a background prop.
...
The three of them—Lin Dong, Lin Feng, and Jiang Lu—left Shunchang Tower and got into the car.
Jiang Lu gazed out the window at the building of Shunchang, receding into the distance. Her heart was a tangle of emotions, but mostly comfort.
Both daughters were so outstanding. She really should be grateful.
Lin Feng sat in the front passenger seat, turning his head back every now and then, looking as if he wanted to say something. Several times he opened his mouth, but didn't know how to begin.
Lin Dong noticed all of this.
"Xiao Feng, I know what you want to say. Is it because Auntie Jiang is here that some things are hard to speak about?"
Lin Feng: "Dad, were you really not just being impulsive? That Liu Yutong... no, sister... she..."
Lin Dong: "To be honest, I wasn't acting on impulse."
"I truly think that Tongtong isn't the kind of person we imagined her to be. She must be deeply loyal. If it weren't for that, I wouldn't have agreed to her."
Upon hearing this, Lin Feng couldn't help muttering: "She's loyal? I find her terrifying..."
Lin Dong: "Xiao Feng, use your head. Why are those thousands of men in black under her so devoted to her?"
"If she really were just a profit-driven, ruthless person, so many people wouldn't truly follow her. Loyalty—that's never something you can buy with money alone."
"And didn't you notice? She didn't actually want to acknowledge our family ties. Yet for her sister Gao Min, for others, she still compromised. What does that tell you? It means she places great value on loyalty!"
"A person who values loyalty—no matter how dark she may be—rarely does things like burning bridges or repaying kindness with enmity."
"We helped her sister today, and she will remember this debt in the future."
"That's why I dared to agree to her..."
Of course, there was one most important reason that Lin Dong didn't mention: Gao Min was sufficiently "red."
If it had been just about Liu Yutong, he would actually have worried about possibly being dragged down with her someday.
That girl was formidable, no doubt. But there was something unsettling about her.
After hearing his father's analysis, Lin Feng nodded thoughtfully.
He had to admit, the old ginger is indeed spicier. What his father said made a lot of sense.
But deep down, he still felt somewhat unconvinced. After all, he was the son of the Lin family head...
Just then, Lin Dong suddenly changed the subject.
"By the way, Xiao Feng, there's something you need to get on top of."
Lin Feng blinked: "Dad, what is it?"
Lin Dong said in all seriousness: "Find a partner, get married, have kids. This is urgent."
Lin Feng: "???"
What do you mean?
Lin Dong: "You saw it. That girl Gao Min, she's already a First-Class Police Inspector at twenty-three. Unbounded future. And Tongtong, twenty years old, worth tens of billions. Look at yourself. Other than spending money and getting into trouble, what can you do?"
"I don’t expect much from your generation, so hurry up and produce a few outstanding offspring for me. If we’re lucky enough to raise someone like Niannian or Tongtong, wouldn’t the Lin family have hope again?"
Lin Feng: "..."
The corner of his mouth twitched, "Dad, have you forgotten? Gao Min and Tongtong were born to Aunt Jiang."
Lin Tong’s eyes widened: "You think I don’t know that? That’s exactly why it proves the importance of genetics. If you find a woman with good genes, how could the child be bad? When I get home, I’ll have your mother arrange blind dates for you. That second daughter of the Li family isn’t bad, and the third girl from the Wang family, and the one from the Zhao family..."
Lin Tong rattled off the names of seven or eight marriageable daughters from wealthy families in the imperial capital.
Of course, his own mind was also working. His son’s words had actually reminded him—since his wife Jiang Lu had such excellent genes, shouldn’t he consider having another child himself?
Lin Feng: "..."
Suddenly, his sense of self-esteem took a massive hit, and his face flushed red.
"Come on, Dad! Are you treating me like a stud pig? Don’t I have any human rights at all?"
