Act 3

Five Years Later

Today, the luxurious restaurant on the twenty-fourth floor of Huanyu Department Store is not open to the public. Instead, it has been booked by the president of Huanyu Group, Du Zhenhuan, to welcome his son who has returned from expanding the market in the United States, and to announce his son's succession to the leadership of Huanyu Group.

Since the morning, the entire restaurant has been in a state of preparation. A dozen waiters are busy setting up the venue as a banquet hall, arranging a series of square tables in a horseshoe shape around the spacious room.

Of course, the tables are adorned with elegant floral arrangements for decoration, and the venue is complemented by greenery. This is why Ouyang Xiaoqing and Jiang Yizhou are bustling about.

"Hey, Mr. Lei, I told you that handing this job to my friend would be foolproof. Look, I was right!" Ren Qiumi, with a proud look, surveys the hall, truly a testament to Xiaoqing! She has a natural talent for working with flowers and plants; if it were her, she would have ruined them.

"Who are you calling Mr. Lei?" Lei Ziping places a hand on her waist. "Don't forget, you're my wife, Mrs. Lei."

"Sorry." Ren Qiumi slaps away his hand. "I'm not yet married, so I can't take on the title of Mrs. Lei."

Sigh! Does this woman have to hit his sore spot to feel satisfied? How annoying!

"One day, I will marry you!" Lei Ziping vows.

Ren Qiumi yawns. "I'll be cheering for you."

Ugh… this woman… the mix of love and hate is truly unbearable.

"I'll go check if Xiaoqing needs help; you go find those two little rascals, Feng and Yin."

Speaking of those two rascals—a mix of love and hate layered on top.

"Okay, off you go!" Ren Qiumi pushes him, amused by his reluctant expression.

Lei Ziping pouts and turns to find the two little ones.

He really can't stand him. Ren Qiumi shakes her head and turns back to her friends.

It's funny how they're intertwined. Five years ago, after helping Xiaoqing recover from childbirth, Ren Qiumi decided to find a proper job to develop her career. Using the knowledge she gained in school, she applied for a managerial assistant position at Huanyu Group, but unfortunately, she ran into Lei Ziping during the interview.

She thought she had no chance, but he ended up hiring her—talk about digging her own grave.

To care for the two little bundles of joy, aside from her, Yizhou and Xiaoqing both found part-time jobs to alternate caring for the children. After a few years, they saved up enough money to open a flower shop, renting out the second floor for living purposes. This way, Xiaoqing could utilize her skills to earn money while looking after the kids—efficient and practical, just like washing pants while digging for clams. Thanks to Yizhou's boyfriend, the flower shop business has been thriving.

Life has been good, hasn't it? Everyone has a financial foundation and emotional support—Xiaoqing has her children, and she and Yizhou each have boyfriends. But if possible, she hopes Xiaoqing can find true love, not just substitute it with familial affection; that would be too pitiful.

"Hey! Qiumi, where are the kids?" Ouyang Xiaoqing asks as she places her masterpiece, "A Floral Wonder," on the main table.

"I sent Lei Ziping to find them," Ren Qiumi brushes her bangs. "Is there anything you need help with?"

"Biased!" Jiang Yizhou's voice pops up from nowhere. "Qiumi is biased! Only helps Xiaoqing and not me!" She seems to be buried in flowers!

"Alright, I'll help you." The tall Ren Qiumi effortlessly cradles a bouquet of one hundred and ninety-nine pink roses in her arms. "Dear Miss Yizhou, where should I put this?"

Unexpectedly, Jiang Yizhou examines her, holding the bouquet, in awe. "Hey, Qiumi, you look so cool holding those flowers! Much cooler than Jiang Yunxiao. If I had known, I would have chosen you instead of Yunxiao."

"You can't return it now," Ren Qiumi sighs, exasperated. "Miss, can you please tell me where to put this? It's heavy!"

"On that shelf over there! Why are you being so fierce?" Jiang Yizhou responds, a little aggrieved.

Fierce?! "I—" Ren Qiumi is speechless. She thinks she's fierce?! Forget it; it's not worth arguing with Yizhou.

After placing the flowers, she turns to see Jiang Yizhou rushing around clumsily, making it look like she's causing trouble. Thankfully, there's a fool named Jiang Yunxiao willing to sacrifice himself for the benefit of everyone.

"Xiaoqing!" Ren Qiumi calls out to Ouyang Xiaoqing as she brushes past. "That fool will come today, right?" She remembers that the company sent him an invitation.

"Don't call him a fool!" Xiaoqing rolls her eyes. "He's not doing it on purpose, and it's been three years; just forget it!"

"Absolutely not." This is her only bargaining chip!

Ouyang Xiaoqing smiles helplessly and looks around. "Where are the kids? Isn't Ziping back yet?"

"Don't worry, leave it to Lei Ziping; he'll find them for sure. They're probably off causing trouble together. Let's see if there's anywhere else I can help."

"Okay."

"Hey, Feng." Ouyang Kaiyin peeks through the door gap. "No one's around now; let's sneak out."

"Wait a moment." Ouyang Kai, small hands busy with something significant—at least to him.

"Come on!" Little Kaiyin's face is full of vigilance, taking her role as the responsible sibling seriously.

"Alright, I'm hurrying!" With a face similar to his sister's, little Kai shows a mischievous side exclusive to boys.

"Yin! Yin!"

Uh-oh! "It's Uncle Lei's voice; he's coming for us!" This place is too fun; she doesn't want to go back inside to find Mommy. "Feng, we need to hide."

"Yeah, let's hide." Little Kai follows his sister's lead, their small bodies disappearing behind a bush taller than usual kids.

A moment later, they see a pair of leather shoes walking nearby.

"The shoes are dancing—"

"Shh—" Kaiyin hushes her brother. "Don't talk; if Uncle Lei catches us, we'll be in big trouble."

"Yeah!" Little Kai agrees. "Yin, shall we go to the fountain to feed the fish?"

"What do we feed them? Fish don't eat food." Plus, they have nothing to feed them anyway.

Little Kai mysteriously opens his right hand, which he's been clutching.

"Wow—how fun!" Little Kaiyin picks up one of the wriggling worms, swinging it in the air. "Look, it's a wave!"

"Humph, I can do it too." Little Kai grabs another worm in his left hand and mimics her. "Look! I have a wave too!"

Little Kaiyin, resembling her brother, pouts, not willing to lose. She grabs another worm with her left hand. "Look! I have two!"

Little Kai also refuses to back down, quickly catching another worm. "I have two too!"

Clearly, the siblings have forgotten about feeding the fish.

The saddest part is those worms—what did they do to deserve this? Being pulled from the ground just to play waves?!

Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice sounds behind the two children—

"What are you doing?"

Two children jumped down. "Wow—uh—"

"Wah... wah... I want to find Mommy... Mommy..." Little Kaiyin cried, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

"I want Mommy too... Mommy... wah..." Little Kaifeng quickly joined in.

In the face of this situation, no matter how capable one was at work, it was of no use; at least, that was true for Du Yuheng, who had just flown in and rushed straight here. He didn't like children and certainly wouldn't entertain them; he simply stood silently before the two kids, watching them cry with tearful eyes.

"Wah..." Their cries gradually turned into sobs, slowly subsiding until no tears were left.

"Feng, what should we do?" Kaiyin had learned how to manage her tears from her Mommy Yi Zhou. "This uncle is so cool; he doesn't care about us."

"Uh..." Kaifeng was still too young to control his emotions completely, so his nose was still a bit runny, but he had stopped crying, which was some progress.

"Uncle," Kaiyin tugged at Du Yuheng's pants. "Do you not like us? Am I and Feng not cute?"

Could it be? All three Mommies said Kaiyin and Feng were the most beautiful kids in the world.

Du Yuheng was momentarily taken aback by her question. The child who had just been wailing was now asking if they were cute, making it hard for him to respond. He had also noticed they were twins—same faces, same age, just different clothes and hairstyles: the little boy had short hair, while the girl had beautiful long waves.

Strangely, these two kids gave him a sense of déjà vu and an inexplicable feeling. Those identical eyes seemed like someone he knew... He thought hard but couldn't remember.

"Uncle, Uncle." Kaifeng imitated his sister and tugged at the strange uncle's pants. "Our Mommy is lost. Can you help us find her?"

"Aren't you the ones who are lost?"

"No, we're not!" Kaiyin pouted in protest. "We've been here without moving. It's Mommy who wandered off, so it's Mommy who's lost."

Even at such a young age, they spoke so coherently; they must be talented in the making.

"What's your Mommy's name?" Given the situation, he had to return the twins to their mother.

"I know!" the two kids chimed in. "We have a Mommy, Qiumi Mommy and Yizhou Mommy. Isn't that great? We have three Mommies."

Three mothers?

"Uncle who doesn't know the names." At some point, Kaifeng had climbed onto Du Yuheng's lap. "You will help us find Mommy, right?"

"Strange Uncle." As the older sister, Kaiyin couldn't let her brother take all the credit, so she climbed onto the other side of his lap. "You have to help us because we're cute and pretty!"

"You can call me Uncle Du." Although Du Yuheng didn't like children, he found he couldn't muster any disdain for these twins.

"Uncle Du." The two kids called out in unison.

"Kaiyin—Kaiyin—" At that moment, Lei Ziping's voice grew closer.

"It's Uncle Lei!" Great! Uncle Lei will definitely help them find their lost Mommy.

"Uncle Lei, we're here!"

Lei Ziping pushed through the bushes and was surprised to see his long-lost friend with two little ones on his lap.

"Hey, when did you have two kids? They look so much like you, especially those eyebrows—" He focused and was taken aback. "Kaiyin, Kaifeng, why are you sitting on your Uncle's friend's lap? Get down!"

"Okay, Uncle Lei." The two little ones obediently climbed down from Du Yuheng's lap, letting Lei Ziping take one by each hand.

"Hurry up, everyone has been waiting for you anxiously." Lei Ziping said to his friend as he led the kids forward, with Du Yuheng following behind.

"When did you switch careers to become a babysitter?" It had only been a few years since they last met, and now Lei Ziping was taking care of kids.

"Since I met Qiumi." That female demon. "These two are her friend's kids."

"Uncle Lei, you seem to not like us! I want to tell Qiumi Mommy." Kaiyin was good at reading people and causing trouble.

"Yin, Uncle doesn't hate us."

"Right, right! Feng is right; Uncle Lei likes you the most—he cares for you the most." Thankfully, he had treated Kaifeng well, and he was brave enough to speak up.

But Lei Ziping seemed to be too happy too soon.

"He wishes we wouldn't show up; then there wouldn't be any third wheel. He often says we're a hundred-watt light bulb—" Kaifeng said mischievously.

"Hey, hey!" That was too much! "I often take you out for good food, and this is how you treat me?"

"I know!" Kaiyin concluded.

"Know what?" Lei Ziping asked, looking at his friend, who was standing ahead, enjoying the show. "Hey, help me out."

"Uncle Lei hates us." The aunts and uncles on TV always say such things; she didn't know what it meant, but it couldn't be good.

"Hey, hey! This is absurd!" Why would he suddenly hate these two little ones? "Yuheng, why are you still standing there!? Help me out, and for the sake of how they resemble you."

Resemble? Du Yuheng was taken aback.

"Uncle Du—" The little ones shifted their target; Uncle Lei was someone they saw every day, but Uncle Du was meeting them for the first time, so they had to make the most of it. "Can you take us to find Mommy?"

"Look, all these flowers were planted by my Mommy," Kaifeng said proudly, easily leaning against Du Yuheng's arm. "Aren't they beautiful? My Mommy is also very pretty! That's why I'm such a handsome kid."

"Boys shouldn't say they are pretty!" Kaiyin glared at her brother. "I want a hug too."

Du Yuheng looked at Lei Ziping, who was enjoying himself while he had turned into a babysitter.

"I want a hug too!" Kaiyin was throwing a fit.

Unable to refuse her, Du Yuheng bent down and picked up Kaiyin again.

"Uncle, Uncle, look!" Kaiyin waved a piece of paper she had found. "This is a card Mommy made. Isn't it pretty? Hmph! Feng doesn't have one; I have it. I have the little card from Mommy." Kaiyin provocatively wrinkled her nose at her brother.

Du Yuheng didn't want to look at that card, which had nothing to do with him, but the pushy child insisted he see it, and once he looked, he couldn't take his eyes off it.

"What's wrong?" Lei Ziping approached, picking up Kaifeng first. "What do you see?" Wasn't it just a piece of paper?

"Nothing." Du Yuheng set Kaiyin down. "I'm going to my office first; I'll come down later."

"Still remember where your office is?" Lei Ziping joked.

But Du Yuheng didn't respond and quickly disappeared.

"What's going on?" Lei Ziping was confused.

"Uncle! Give me back my card!" Kaiyin shouted toward Du Yuheng, who had walked away, saying that Mommy's card had been taken.

Hearing the children's voices, Ouyang Xiaoqing followed the sound and found them. "What happened?"

Kaiyin suddenly ran into her arms, crying, "Mommy's card... was taken by the uncle..."

Uncle? Ouyang Xiaoqing looked at Lei Ziping. "Ziping, what's going on?"

"I don't know!" He still needed someone to tell him! What a mess!

Back in his long-awaited office, Du Yuheng sat in the leather chair, staring at two pieces of paper in front of him. One was clearly old, with frayed edges and faded colors, once smooth.

His gaze shifted between the two papers. The similar handwriting had cute round endings at the strokes, indicating that both were written by the same person.

It turned out that the woman had married and had children. It was hard to say whether he felt disappointed or happy, but at least he felt somewhat relieved.

For five years, amidst his busy work in America, he often found himself thinking of that strange girl who had inexplicably given him her virginity and then vanished without a trace. In fact, it was precisely because she had said nothing and left behind a thank-you card that he remembered her so vividly.

He wanted to ask her: Why? These three words had been buried in his heart for a long time, and perhaps tonight he could find an answer, if he could find her.

Du Yuheng came back to his senses, looking at the two small pieces of paper on the desk. He picked up the old one to examine it closely for a moment, then put it back in his wallet; the new one needed to be returned to that little kid.

The applause from the audience was thunderous, welcoming the future successor of the Huan Yu Group.

Du Yuheng had always hated such lively scenes; today, however, he had no choice but to attend because he was the main character.

"Congratulations!" Voices of congratulation echoed around him, making Du Yuheng frown in annoyance from beginning to end.

"It's the first time I've seen a reluctant president like you." Lei Ziping patted his friend's shoulder. "What's up? Didn't expect it, did you? Just back, and your dad hands you the position. Surprised?"

Du Yuheng took a sip of his drink. "It was bound to happen; is there really a need to be surprised?"

"Hmph! Who said two years would be enough? Look what happened—it took you five years." He had made him spin like a top for an extra three years.

"Isn't it worth it to have three branch offices and five foreign alliances after five years?" Du Yuheng asked.

"Of course it's worth it!" Lei Ziping smirked, secretly admiring him.

"Thanks for your hard work." He knew how much Ziping had helped. "Without you, I couldn't have stayed at ease in the U.S."

Lei Ziping was taken aback, feeling deeply moved. "What's going on? Did you have a change of heart while in America? You actually said something nice?!"

"Where's your assistant?" Du Yuheng changed the topic, as he never liked small talk; he just wanted to find what he was looking for—the answer to his question.

Lei Ziping looked around, finally spotting Qiumi and her friends, along with the two little troublemakers in a dim corner. "Right over there," he pointed.

"Qiumi, I think I'll take the kids home to wait for you," Ouyang Xiaoqing said. "I've been busy all day, and I'm a bit tired. Kaiyin and Kaifeng need to go to bed." She didn't like such lively gatherings; she just wanted to return to a quiet home to rest.

"Alright!" Qiumi nodded, seeing the two kids nodding off; after a day of causing mischief, they must be exhausted. "I'll go tell Lei Ziping we're leaving."

"Okay, I'll take the kids to find Yizhou."

"No need!" Qiumi stopped her. "Can't you see she's engrossed with that idiot over there?" She pointed with her thumb to the left.

Ouyang Xiaoqing followed her gaze and indeed saw them.

"He'll take her home; we can leave on our own." That guy had monopolized Yizhou all night. "Wait for me here; I'm going to find Lei Ziping—"

"Qiumi!"

Tsk! Just when she wanted to find someone, another appeared.

"You came just in time; I was about to look for you. I and Xiaoqing—"

"Wait, wait." Lei Ziping interrupted her. "Let me introduce you to someone."

"Who? Do I really need to know?" She didn't like remembering boring things.

"You do." Lei Ziping wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her along a bit. "This is our boss. Yuheng, meet Qiumi; you've met her a few years ago—"

"Eh—" Qiumi gasped, cutting off Lei Ziping's introduction.

It's him?! Ouyang Xiaoqing's eyes widened as she stared at the man walking toward her.

Du Yuheng stopped in front of her, equally transfixed. It had been years... probably six. The image of her in that disheveled state with a childish face had changed with time—

The same features, the same petite frame, but now with a maturity that was distinctly different; she was a mother of two now, exuding a womanly charm far beyond her previous innocence.

"What's going on now?" Lei Ziping wondered aloud. Why was Yuheng standing silently in front of Xiaoqing?

"What's her name?" Du Yuheng's voice emerged.

"Ouyang Xiaoqing," Lei Ziping replied.

"Ouyang Xiaoqing... nice name."

"Hey, hey, what are you doing?" Ren Qiumi swatted away his hand on her shoulder and pulled Xiaoqing protectively behind her, like a hen shielding her chick. "Why are you standing there scaring her? Look how pale she is!"

Du Yuheng glanced at Xiaoqing behind Qiumi. Her small frame was indeed trembling, resembling the girl who had sought his help six years ago.

Is she afraid to see him? That meant she still remembered him.

"Don't bully my mommy!"

Du Yuheng suddenly felt a slight pain in his calf and looked down to see the twins.

"Bad uncle, taking Yinyin's card and scaring my mommy, bad uncle!" Kaifeng kicked him and scurried behind Qiumi, squeezing in next to Xiaoqing.

The other little hand was stretched out, raised high, but barely reached halfway up Du Yuheng's thigh.

"Give the card back!" Seeing her enemy, Xiaoyin's childish voice was defiant.

Du Yuheng placed the small card into her palm.

Xiaoyin retracted her hand and hid behind Qiumi, sticking out her tongue. "Hmph! Bad uncle!"

"You shouldn't be so rude!" Once her panic settled, Xiaoqing stepped forward with the children. "Say sorry to your uncle!" Even if they couldn't recognize each other, she couldn't let the kids be disrespectful to their biological father.

"Quickly say it."

"Uncle, I'm sorry." Xiaoyin and Kaifeng obediently followed her lead.

Du Yuheng didn't dwell on the apology; he was more focused on finding out the answers he sought.

"Xiaoqing, we're leaving," Qiumi said, picking up Xiaoyin in one arm and Kaifeng in the other.

"Oh!" Xiaoqing turned to leave but was suddenly grabbed by Du Yuheng.

"We need to talk." His intense gaze bore into her. "You know why."

Xiaoqing's body stiffened. He remembered! With that realization, she understood she could no longer avoid him; what was meant to happen would happen. She had thought they would never meet again.

"We will talk." She gently pried his hand away. "Give me some time; I will come find you." She felt she had matured significantly since then and could face this issue—she believed in herself.

Du Yuheng nodded, allowing her to leave.

After Ren Qiumi and Ouyang Xiaoqing left, Lei Ziping couldn't help but ask, "What's going on?" He had been watching everything closely but still felt confused. "Do you know Xiaoqing?"

"I guess you could say I know her." They had only spent one night together, hadn't they?

"What kind of answer is that?" Lei Ziping exclaimed, clearly exasperated.

After putting the kids to bed, they moved to the living room, sitting in silence. Xiaoqing stared down at her tea, her expression serious, while Qiumi observed her every move.

Finally, Qiumi boldly concluded, "He's the kids' father."

Xiaoqing nodded in response.

Qiumi regarded her thoughtfully. No wonder Lei Ziping had mentioned that Kaifeng and Xiaoyin resembled Du Yuheng. She had initially thought it was just a coincidence. But judging by Du Yuheng's expression, he probably didn't know he had children.

"Are you going to tell him about the kids?"

"I don't know." Xiaoqing set her teacup down and walked out to the balcony. "I thought I'd never see him again."

"But now you have." Qiumi followed her to the balcony. "What are you planning to do?"

"I want to clear the air."

"Including about the kids? Aren't you afraid he'll take them away?" Taiwan's laws typically favored wealthy men, and Du Yuheng certainly fell into that category.

"He can't take my kids away!" she insisted. "He won't!"

"Xiaoqing!" Qiumi hugged her tightly. "Calm down, okay?"

"What if he really wants the kids… what should I do?" Despair flooded her. "They're my only family! If he takes them, it's like taking my life!"

"I know." Qiumi patted her back soothingly. "There will be a way." But she worried that opposing Du Yuheng would be difficult. Perhaps he really didn't want the kids after all.

"Are you saying… those twins have no father?" Du Yuheng was shocked, dropping his cigarette as he processed Lei Ziping's introduction of Xiaoqing.

"Xiaoqing had them out of wedlock." It struck him as odd how interested Yuheng seemed in her situation.

After the party ended, he had pulled Yuheng into the office to ask a slew of questions about Xiaoqing. Lei Ziping found it peculiar; typically, Yuheng wouldn't show such interest in someone he was meeting for the first time.

Du Yuheng leaned back, deep in thought. If she wasn't married, where did those kids come from?

Suddenly, he recalled Lei Ziping's earlier remark—those kids looked a lot like him. Could it be…?

"Damn it!" He slammed his fist on the table.

"What's wrong?" Lei Ziping jumped in surprise. It sounded like thunder!

Du Yuheng didn't answer; he simply sat back in his chair, contemplating.

If it was really as he suspected, how would he handle it? What if those kids were his…?