Zhao Ying Jun didn’t say a word at first. She looked down at Yan Qiao Qiao and asked gently, “So now... do you know what it means to have a father?”
Just a few days ago, when she had asked Yan Qiao Qiao if she remembered her father, the girl had innocently replied, “What’s a father?”
It seemed that watching TV constantly over the past few days had taught her a lot. But understanding something wasn’t the same as feeling it. Could Qiao Qiao truly grasp what a father, mother, family, or love meant without ever having experienced them?
Yan Qiao Qiao nodded earnestly, meeting Zhao Ying Jun’s eyes. “Other kids have them,” she answered.
“Other kids?” Zhao Ying Jun asked, raising an eyebrow. “On TV?”
Yan Qiao Qiao shook her head and pointed outside the window. “The kids in the yard.”
Yan Mei, who was nearby, walked over and added, “Qiao Qiao has been playing outside with the neighborhood kids lately. Most of them are seven or eight years old—there aren’t many her age.”
“But mentally, they’re about the same age, so they get along and have made some friends in the yard,” Yan Mei continued. “Those kids have their moms and dads with them. When it’s time to eat, their parents take them home. Qiao Qiao seems a bit envious... though ‘envious’ might not be the right word. She often asks me where her parents are.”
Yan Mei sighed softly. “Qiao Qiao is getting smarter every day. She’s learning more, and there are some things we can’t hide from her forever. She’ll find out what she needs to know sooner or later.”
Zhao Ying Jun gently rubbed Yan Qiao Qiao’s head, noticing her scruffy little pigtails and a cheap flower hair clip. Feeling the urge to do something different, she grabbed Qiao Qiao’s hand, picked up some bags from the sofa, and led her to the bedroom. “Come on, let me give you a new hairstyle.”
In the bedroom, Zhao Ying Jun laid out various hair accessories, combs, and clips on the table. She patted the chair in front of the vanity mirror. “Sit here, Qiao Qiao. Don’t move. I’ll do your hair.”
Qiao Qiao sat down obediently, staring straight ahead as Zhao Ying Jun worked on her hair.
“You’re a big girl now; you can’t keep wearing these childish pigtails,” Zhao Ying Jun said, removing the fake flower and elastic bands from Qiao Qiao’s hair. “Even if people don’t say it, they’d think it’s silly for someone your age to dress like this.”
“You’re smart and learn quickly. You should learn how to style your own hair. It doesn’t need to be fancy. A simple ponytail is perfect—clean and pretty.”
She carefully combed out Qiao Qiao’s hair with a wooden comb. It fell just past her neck, touching her shoulders—neither too long nor too short. A simple ponytail would suit her fine. The ends were a bit uneven, probably from not being trimmed in a while, but a ponytail would hide that.
Zhao Ying Jun gathered Qiao Qiao’s hair at the back of her head and secured it with a blue elastic hairband, wrapping it around twice to create a neat ponytail.
Her bangs and sideburns were already the right length, so they didn’t need any extra styling. Zhao Ying Jun couldn’t help but admire how a youthful face and good looks could make almost any hairstyle work. With her doll-like features, snow-white skin, and big, bright eyes, Qiao Qiao would look good no matter what.
“You’re too young for makeup, and your skin is perfect. You don’t need it. We’ll keep it simple and add a hair clip in the front.”
Since the ponytail holder was bright blue and stood out, she added a small pale pink metal hair clip to balance the color. It was plain but elegant.
She clipped the hairpin above Qiao Qiao’s bangs, and the hairstyle was complete.
“Hmm... now what should you wear?” Zhao Ying Jun pondered, feeling like she was dressing up a doll from her childhood. It was surprisingly fun.
It turned out that dressing up her own child was far more enjoyable than dressing herself.
“You’re too skinny for tight clothes—they’ll just make you look too thin. A dress would be better,” Zhao Ying Jun smiled as she searched through the bags for a cute dress.
She rarely wore dresses herself. She couldn’t remember if she wore them as a child, but since she started school, she hadn’t. She just didn’t like them. But she thought Qiao Qiao would look good in one, and maybe it could make up for her own dislike of cute clothes.
Finally, she picked out a simple, knee-length, off-white dress with no unnecessary patterns or decorations. It was perfect for Qiao Qiao. Despite being only 151 cm tall, Qiao Qiao had great proportions—long legs and a high waist—ideal for such a fresh style.
“Alright, stand up and take a look in the mirror,” Zhao Ying Jun said as she finished tidying up.
Qiao Qiao walked over to the full-length mirror, swaying from side to side. “It looks nice,” she said concisely.
Zhao Ying Jun smiled with satisfaction. “Do you really think it looks nice?”
Qiao Qiao nodded, turning back to look at Zhao Ying Jun. “Thank you, sister.”
“...”
Zhao Ying Jun was silent for a moment but then thought it over.
It was better for Qiao Qiao to call her “sister.” She wasn’t ready to be called “mom” yet. If Qiao Qiao suddenly started calling her “mom,” she wouldn’t feel any comfort or pride.
Instead... she’d only feel a chilling dread.
Besides, the age gap between her and Qiao Qiao was small. If they went out and Qiao Qiao called her “mom,” everyone would think she was a young stepmother that Qiao Qiao’s father had married.
Even if her conscience was clear, rumors could be annoying. Better to avoid them altogether.
“From now on, wear clothes like these,” Zhao Ying Jun said, pointing to the bags on the bed. “All these clothes are for you. You’ll learn how to dress yourself eventually. And those silly pigtails and fake flowers? Don’t wear them again. Even four- or five-year-olds don’t dress like that anymore.”
“If Lin Xian... or anyone else saw you like that, they’d think I’m not taking care of you. You need to look more presentable.”
Zhao Ying Jun knew. Even though Lin Xian had many secrets and likely multiple hidden identities, his reunion with Qiao Qiao was inevitable. When the truth came out...
If Qiao Qiao looked shabby and lacked proper manners, how would she explain herself? How could she face him?
This child needed to be well cared for.
Later, when they took Qiao Qiao out, Zhao Rui Hai and Yan Mei were delighted to see her new look.
“Oh, Qiao Qiao looks so grown-up now!”
“Hehe, yes, a little girl needs to be dressed up. Clothes really do make the person. She suddenly looks more mature.”
Qiao Qiao seemed excited to show off her new outfit to her friends and ran straight for the door, eager to go out and play.
“You two must be tired after spending so much time with her,” Zhao Ying Jun said, following behind Qiao Qiao. She looked back at her parents, “I’ll take her out to play today.”
With that, the two of them, looking more like sisters than anything else, headed out to find some playmates in the neighborhood.
As they watched them leave, Yan Mei remarked, “Rui Hai, don’t you think Ying Jun seems closer to Qiao Qiao now?”
“In the past, whenever she visited, she was always impatient, constantly finding faults in everything. But today, she was great. She didn’t complain once and even bought Qiao Qiao clothes and did her hair.”
Sitting on the sofa, Zhao Rui Hai nodded with a smile. “That’s the magic of blood ties. The bond is something you can’t resist. But building a relationship still takes time. We raised children ourselves, so it’s easier for us to slip into the roles of grandparents. But it’s naturally harder for young people to adjust.”
“Still, seeing Ying Jun and Qiao Qiao getting along better makes me happy. When we eventually leave Donghai, we’ll feel more comfortable leaving Qiao Qiao with Ying Jun. You can tell... she actually likes Qiao Qiao. We just didn’t communicate well before.”
Yan Mei also sat down on the sofa, cleaning up the fruit peels that Qiao Qiao had eaten. “So, have you thought about how we’re going to leave Qiao Qiao with her?”
“We can’t just leave her behind and go without a word. Right now, it’s understandable that Ying Jun finds this unbelievable and unscientific. We have to handle it carefully.”
Zhao Rui Hai nodded. “Don’t worry; I have a plan and know how to handle this smoothly.”
“We’ll stay with Qiao Qiao for another week, and then we’ll come up with an excuse to go back to the capital, saying it’s an emergency but that we’ll be back soon. We’ll ask Ying Jun to take care of Qiao Qiao for a few days.”
“Then... we’ll decide later whether to come back. The golden week holiday is almost over anyway. Since the crowds have died down, we could take Qiao Qiao on a little trip.”
“I’ve always dreamed of taking my grandkids to see the country’s beautiful landscapes. It’s funny how life works. Some dreams come true when you least expect them to.”
Yan Mei put the trash from the coffee table into the bin and shook her head, sighing. “No matter what happens to Qiao Qiao, I hope Ying Jun can give us an acceptable answer soon about why she has such a grown-up daughter.”
“True, but now that the child is here, healthy and all grown up, does it really matter what the answer is? As long as everyone is happy and healthy, I’m fine with it.”
“Alright then, let’s enjoy our last bit of time with Qiao Qiao, take her on a little trip, and then head back home.”
The next day, after the golden week holiday ended, everyone returned to work, and things got busy again. Since visiting Yan Qiao Qiao that day, Zhao Ying Jun hadn’t been back to her parents’ villa.
Her parents had said they were taking Qiao Qiao on a trip to see the sights. That was fine with her. She didn’t think much of it and continued to focus on her work at MX Company.
Work was still hectic. But even in the midst of it all, she couldn’t help but think of Lin Xian and Yan Qiao Qiao.
Strange... she never used to be like this, so worried and uncertain. How did she suddenly slip into the role of a parent?
Maybe Brother Wang was right. Women do seem to adapt to the role of a mother faster than men do to the role of a father.
Over the past few days, she had visited the neighboring Rhine Company several times but hadn’t seen Lin Xian. Instead, she ran into Brother Wang in the hallway yesterday.
“President Zhao Ying Jun, you’re here!” Brother Wang greeted her warmly. “Anything I can do for you?”
“Not really.” She smiled. “Just looking around. Has Lin Xian been absent from work lately?”
“Haha, him?” Brother Wang gave her a knowing look. “He’s a hands-off manager. Not showing up is normal; coming in is a rare miracle. And lately, I don’t know if he’s feeling unwell or something... he seems to be awake at night and sleeping during the day.”
“Every afternoon when I call him, he never picks up, so I don’t even bother calling anymore. I just text him. And like clockwork, around two or three in the morning, he replies.”
“Though he’s still young, he should take care of his health. Staying up late every night isn’t good. If you get a chance, tell him to change his schedule. What can’t be done during the day? Why does he need to sleep during the day?”
Listening to Brother Wang, Zhao Ying Jun couldn’t help but think back to her earlier suspicions...
Her uncle, who worked in national security and hid his identity from his wife for thirty years, had a similar situation. He was often away on business trips and would sometimes not answer his phone.
Because of this, her uncle and aunt had many arguments. But her uncle was a dedicated national security officer, and even when things got tough, he kept the truth to himself to maintain secrecy, protect national security, and carry out his missions.
As a woman, Zhao Ying Jun sympathized with her aunt—living with that kind of cold silence must have been difficult. But as a citizen who enjoyed the peace and security of their country, she also deeply respected her uncle and other unsung heroes who sacrificed for the greater good.
Loyalty and family—it’s an age-old dilemma, and there’s no perfect solution.
Now, she suspected that Lin Xian was in a similar situation, engaged in some secret mission or doing something great yet unrecognized.
She had a gut feeling that whatever Lin Xian was doing, it was probably even more dangerous and important than her uncle’s work.
This was why, even though she had known about Qiao Qiao’s background for days, she hadn’t reached out to Lin Xian.
Of course, part of it was not knowing how to bring up such an unclear and confusing relationship. But the real reason for her silence...
She sensed that Lin Xian was carrying some important burden and that he was deliberately hiding it.
Just like now, what he told Brother Wang... Sleeping? Ha!
Who could sleep for 12 hours straight every day without waking up? That was impossible. Lin Xian was surely using “sleep” as an excuse to do other secret things.
At 12:42 AM, in a corner of Lin Xian’s bedroom, he opened his eyes. He jumped out of bed so quickly that he didn’t even have time to rub his tired eyes. He dashed to his desk, turned on the lamp, grabbed a pen, and started scribbling on the prepared sheets of paper.
Scratch, scratch, scratch.
The pen flew across the page as if guided by an unseen force. It wasn’t that Lin Xian was particularly quick-witted; he was racing against his fading memory. As the pen glided smoothly, a complex and continuous chemical reaction equation began to appear on the paper.
But that wasn’t all. There were still many notes and annotations to add. Lin Xian didn’t understand them entirely, so he could only copy them down, just like tracing a drawing.
Finally, before the visual memory faded away, Lin Xian managed to copy down this groundbreaking reaction equation that could change the world.
For the first time in 600 years, Academician Gao Wen’s research findings were brought back to life.
“Phew...”
Lin Xian let out a deep breath, as if he could finally breathe again. This equation was so long and challenging to memorize; recalling it all at once had been his greatest test. Thankfully, he had succeeded. His hard work wasn’t in vain.
He relaxed a little, rubbed his eyes, drank some water, and continued copying down the notes from his memory until 2 AM. Only then did he finish his task.
Lin Xian stretched, tidied up the papers in front of him. Unknowingly, so many days had passed, and Academician Gao Wen’s research manuscript, “Principles of Time-Space Travel and Design Concepts for a Time-Space Machine,” was now more than halfway transcribed back into the real world. In just a few days, he would finish copying it all.
Seeing that the time-space machine was almost within reach... Lin Xian couldn’t help feeling a bit excited, imagining himself being able to travel freely through time, like Yellow Finch and the time-space assassins.
Of course, he knew better than anyone that time travel wasn’t that simple. Time-space laws, time-space particles, how to return, time-space rejection, forced avoidance... all these were problems that he’d inevitably have to face.
However, Lin Xian wasn’t in a rush. He could keep the theory in hand, ensuring his technological advantage for the future when he might need it.
He opened a drawer and carefully placed the copied manuscript inside.
“In a few days, once I’ve finished copying and double-checking the manuscript, it’ll be time to move on to the next step in the fifth dream world.”
Qiao Qiao bent down, but the token had already rolled far away, moving fast.
She hurried to follow it.
The token rolled out of the back door of the arcade, into a crowd, and was accidentally kicked by an unsuspecting man. It flew far, landing in the park below.
Qiao Qiao stood there, stunned.
That token was bought with her sister’s money; she had to get it back.
This was her first time in this confusing, multi-level mall that felt like a maze. She finally made it out of the first-floor entrance, only to find she was still far from where the token had fallen.
Helplessly, she continued running toward the park.
At the park entrance, there were many people selling flowers, and others buying them. The vibrant colors were beautiful, but most of them were selling the same kind of flowers.
“Little girl, buy a flower!” said a male college student selling flowers nearby. His eyes were bright and clear as he smiled at Qiao Qiao. “Carnations, five yuan each. I only have one left. I’ll sell it to you for three yuan.”
“Buy one, little girl. It’s Mother’s Day today. If you give one to your mom, she’ll be very happy!”
Qiao Qiao stopped. She looked at the empty bucket, with only one pale yellow carnation left. “For... Mom?”
The college student with glasses nodded with a smile. “Yes, yes. Carnations are usually given to mothers. The flower symbolizes tenderness and sincere love. Especially the yellow carnation—it stands for gratitude and appreciation.”
“So... there’s no better flower than a yellow carnation to give to your mother. Buy one! It’s my last one, and I’ll let you have it for just two yuan. I’m about to close up!”
“For just two yuan, you can let your mom feel your love and gratitude! What a bargain, right? Come on, little girl, don’t hesitate. Buy this last yellow carnation meant just for you and thank your mom for raising you!”
...
Listening to the student’s passionate pitch, Qiao Qiao remained calm.
“Thank my mom...” she murmured softly.
She lifted her head, her eyes dim as she looked at the college student. “I don’t have a mom.”
It was like a sharp knife stabbing into the student’s heart!
His expression froze, as if the knife wasn’t just stabbing but also twisting inside him.
The clarity in his eyes vanished, replaced by guilt and regret.
Damn it.
Why did he say those things?
Why did he say such hurtful words to this little girl without a mom?
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to,” he apologized hastily.
He looked at the carnation in his hand. It seemed that even if he gave it to this adorable girl for free... she wouldn’t have a mom to give it to.
He thought about it.
Maybe it was better not to give it to her.
That would only hurt her more.
So, he quickly tossed the carnation into a nearby trash can, packed up, and left in a hurry.
Qiao Qiao tilted her head, watching the student rush away. She looked at the upside-down carnation in the trash can, its petals facing down, and its stem sticking up.
Then, she took it out.
Meanwhile, back inside the mall at the arcade entrance, Zhao Ying Jun finished her phone call and returned to the noisy arcade.
“Qiao Qiao?”
She looked around the empty claw machine area and searched a bit more.
Nothing!
There was no sign of Qiao Qiao anywhere!
For a moment, Zhao Ying Jun panicked.
Oh no.
Did she lose the child?
Although Qiao Qiao was a teenage girl and unlikely to be targeted by human traffickers...
Still...
Qiao Qiao’s mental abilities hadn’t fully recovered!
What if someone tricked her or took her away?
Suddenly, she felt a chill run down her spine.
This wasn’t just any child... This was Lin Xian’s child! If something happened to her, how could she explain it?
She hurriedly stopped an arcade staff member. “Have you seen a little girl? She has a ponytail, is wearing an off-white dress, is about this tall, and is very slim.”
The staff member nodded. “Yes, I saw her. She went out that way.”
Zhao Ying Jun quickly ran in the direction the staff member pointed. She asked around and followed the trail.
Fortunately, Qiao Qiao was very beautiful, with skin as fair as a doll’s, so many people remembered her and pointed Zhao Ying Jun in the right direction.
Finally!
After a nerve-wracking chase!
Zhao Ying Jun spotted Qiao Qiao in the bushes of the park!
“Yan! Qiao! Qiao!” she shouted angrily.
When your mom yells your full name, you know you’re in big trouble.
“How could you run off without telling me?” Zhao Ying Jun was furious. She scolded Qiao Qiao as soon as she reached her. “Don’t you know that’s very dangerous? There are lots of bad people out there. What if someone had taken you or tricked you?”
“You’re so thoughtless! When I tell you to stay put when I leave, you need to stay there and not move! How am I supposed to find you if you wander off?”
“Today I was lucky to find you, but what if I couldn’t? What would I do if something happened to you? How could I explain it to anyone?”
Qiao Qiao turned around, holding a muddy game token in her fingers. “Sister, I found it.”
Zhao Ying Jun was still angry, but then she noticed the wilted carnation in Qiao Qiao’s other hand.
Suddenly, her heart softened.
She remembered Qiao Qiao’s gaze when watching the animated film Lotus Lantern a while back. She’d been captivated and lost in thought. When she saw the scene where Chen Xiang reunited with his mother, Qiao Qiao had innocently said, “Without a dad, how can it be a family?”
But Chen Xiang still had his mother to find.
For Qiao Qiao...
She had neither a mother nor a father.
Today, Zhao Ying Jun had been so focused on work that she hadn’t paid much attention to the mall’s decorations.
It dawned on her...
Today was Mother’s Day.
She’d never really paid much attention to this holiday. She hadn’t expected that while she was working, little Qiao Qiao had already grabbed a carnation, longing for her mom.
She felt a twinge of guilt.
Thinking about it carefully, was it all Qiao Qiao’s fault for running off today?
Clearly not.
She hadn’t fulfilled her duty as a guardian. Knowing that Qiao Qiao’s intelligence and understanding hadn’t fully recovered, shouldn’t she have kept a closer eye on her, making sure she stayed within sight?
She realized she’d been too careless.
She’d always thought of herself as emotionally stable...
But why?
Why did she reserve her worst temper and least patience for her own child?
Zhao Ying Jun sighed softly. She held Qiao Qiao’s hand, led her to a pavilion in the park, and used the wet wipes from her bag to clean the mud off Qiao Qiao’s legs and arms.
Qiao Qiao held the game token in one hand and the carnation in the other. She seemed to know she had done something wrong and sat there quietly like a child who had been scolded.
Zhao Ying Jun looked at the wilted carnation in her hand and said softly, “Do you know... that carnations are for mothers?”
Qiao Qiao nodded gently.
Zhao Ying Jun was surprised. She hadn’t expected Qiao Qiao to know such a slightly complicated fact at her current level of understanding.
She finished cleaning up, sat beside Qiao Qiao, and asked, “Do you miss your mom?”
Qiao Qiao remained silent, her gaze fixed on the carnation in her hand.
Zhao Ying Jun bit her lip and began to speak. “When I was your age, I was already studying abroad. I could only come home once or twice a year and rarely had the chance to see my parents.”
“I may seem strong, but on holidays about family and reunion... I missed home and my mom a lot.”
“But the holidays abroad are different from those in our country, so I could never come back for Lunar New Year, Mid-Autumn Festival... any of those.”
“The more you can’t see someone, the more you miss them. But the more you miss them, the less you see them. Eventually, I got used to ignoring those holidays, forcing myself not to think about them or pay attention to stories about family and love.”
“But... it’s all just self-deception. Everyone misses their mom. I do too. I’ve tried to toughen up in that regard, but later I realized... being strong and missing your mom aren’t mutually exclusive. You can easily be strong, but it’s impossible to conquer your own heart and stop missing your mom.”
She looked down at Qiao Qiao sitting quietly next to her and asked, “Do you miss your mom?”
Qiao Qiao didn’t lift her head. She lowered it into her chest.
Zhao Ying Jun smiled gently and stroked her smooth hair. “When do you usually miss your mom? Mother’s Day? Children’s Day? Your birthday? Or... is there some other special day?”
Qiao Qiao blinked, turning to look at Zhao Ying Jun with her clear eyes. “Every day.”
Zhao Ying Jun’s smile froze on her face.
Qiao Qiao fiddled with the wilted carnation in her hand, her eyes fixed on the wrinkled petals. “Every day... I miss my mom.”