Chapter 15: The Lost Name

The car door opened with a quiet click.

Xia Lan narrowed her eyes, every muscle coiled in silent tension.

A slender leg extended from the car, clad in elegant black heels. Then, a woman stepped out—tall, graceful, dressed in a tailored black business suit that fit her figure perfectly. Her long black hair was neatly tied back, not a strand out of place. Despite the sharp cut of her clothes, her expression held a warm, calm smile.

Xia Lan's gaze sharpened.

Unlike the cold, deadly aura Xia Lan carried from her assassin days, this woman radiated something else entirely—power. Not the wild, dangerous kind born of violence… but a refined, composed dominance. Like someone used to giving orders—and being obeyed without question.

She didn't look threatening.

The woman began walking toward her, heels clicking softly on the pavement. But then—without warning—she broke into a run.

Xia Lan's instincts flared.

Her foot shifted, body tightening as she prepared to deliver a counterattack. Just one more step, and she would've kicked the woman straight in the chest—

But she froze.

The woman's eyes weren't filled with hostility… but warmth. Deep, overwhelming warmth. There was no killing intent, no hidden malice. Only a tender light brimming with affection.

Xia Lan's leg lowered hesitantly.

Before she could react further, the woman closed the distance and pulled her into a tight embrace. Her arms wrapped around Xia Lan like she'd finally found something precious she thought lost forever.

Then came the gentle strokes on her head.

Soft. Steady. Comforting.

Xia Lan's body went rigid.

She didn't know how to respond. No one had ever touched her like this—not in kindness, not in affection. Her entire life had been pain, commands, blood, and silence.

This…

This was different.

She stood there, frozen in the woman's arms, her mind blank.

Xia Lan felt something warm and wet fall onto her cheek.

Her eyes slowly lifted to the woman's face.

Tears.

The woman was crying—tears streaming down her cheeks like rain. But her expression… it wasn't twisted in pain or sorrow. It was overflowing with joy. Relief. Love.

She hugged Xia Lan even tighter, her voice trembling with emotion.

"My dear sister… I finally found you."

Xia Lan's breath caught in her throat.

"I searched all over China," the woman whispered, her voice cracking. "Every city, every orphanage, every record… and still, I couldn't find you. I was so scared I never would. But now… I'm so happy. So, so happy to see you again."

Xia Lan's mind spun.

Sister?

She stared at the woman, stunned, unable to process the warmth flooding her chest. The woman's arms, her tears, her voice—it all felt too real. Too genuine.

And yet… it was a feeling Xia Lan had never known Family.

Because in her memory…Family was nothing but pain.

An aunt who scolded her, beat her, reminded her every day she was unwanted.Not once… not even by mistake… had she ever felt love.

So Xia Lan grew up quiet, distant.Afraid to trust.Afraid to hope.

That was the reason—The reason her heart had become a fortress, the reason she flinched at kindness.

And now, here stood this woman—this stranger—with tears falling like rain, arms wrapped around her like she truly mattered.

Xia Lan's throat tightened.

Her hands trembled as she looked up, eyes wide and filled with something she hadn't dared feel in years—Confusion.Longing.Hope.

Her voice cracked as she whispered,"Wh… what is your name, miss?"

The woman knelt down, holding her face with both hands, her thumb gently wiping away the tears Xia Lan didn't realize she'd started crying.

"My name is Shen Wei," she said softly. "I'm your eldest sister."

"Let's go inside and talk, dear."

Xia Lan blinked, realizing only now that she and the woman—no, her sister—were still standing outside on the pavement.

As Shen Wei gently guided her toward the apartment, her gaze lingered on Xia Lan's face, so familiar yet changed by years of hardship. Her heart ached, and her thoughts drifted—back in time, back to the day everything began.

She was just seven.

Playing in the garden with her little brother Shen Wu, their laughter echoing in the summer breeze. Then their mother stepped out from the house, a hand resting protectively over her stomach.

Shen Wei's eyes had lit up. She already knew what that meant.

"Another sibling!" she'd gasped with delight.

Shen Wu, however, crossed his arms and scowled. "I don't want more brothers. I'm good now, aren't I?"

Their mother laughed warmly. "Oh? But what if it's a little sister, hmm? Then you'd get to be a big brother, wouldn't that be nice?"

At that, Shen Wu's eyes sparkled. He jumped around with excitement, and Shen Wei had giggled too—her joy as innocent as the sunlight that bathed their yard.

But she didn't know.

She didn't know that sweet laughter would become a curse.

She didn't know that one year later, her world would fall apart.

One year after her baby sister was born, Shen Wei had rocked her gently in the cradle, watched her small fingers clutch her own, and kissed her tiny forehead before she napped beside her.

And then…

When she woke up, the house was filled with screams.

Her mother was sobbing, collapsed against their father, clutching at his shirt with desperation.

"How?! Why?! How can my daughter just disappear like that?! Please—find her! Please find my daughter!"

Her father's face was dark. Cold. The house, once filled with warmth, suddenly felt like a tomb.

Shen Wei had frozen, pale with terror, a single memory flashing through her mind:

Her baby sister's smile.That innocent laugh.The way her tiny fingers curled tightly around her own.

Gone. Just like that.

Her parents searched for years.

Every lead, every phone call, every crying mother on the news who claimed to have seen a child like hers—her parents followed them all.

But nothing.

And as time passed, her mother began to crumble.

The vibrant, warm woman who once filled their home with laughter slowly withered. Her eyes became hollow. She wandered through the house calling for her daughter, clutching old baby clothes to her chest and whispering lullabies into silence.

Depression consumed her like a shadow.

Shen Wei, still just a child herself, watched it all in helpless silence.

Until one day, her father came home with a little girl in his arms.

She had pretty eyes. She looked sweet. Innocent.

"This is Shen Li," he told his wife gently. "Our daughter… she's back now."

And their mother—fragile, broken—lit up for the first time in years. She held the child close, tears falling down her face as she whispered the name over and over like a prayer: "Shen Li… my daughter… my baby…"

Shen Wei stood frozen, watching the scene unfold.

Her heart shattered.

Because that wasn't her sister.

That wasn't the girl who used to giggle in her arms and cling to her finger.

That wasn't Shen Li.

And yet—everyone accepted it.

Their mother healed, smiling again. Their younger brothers, too young to understand the meaning behind it all, quickly adapted. They played with the new girl, treated her like family.

But Shen Wei couldn't.

She stopped smiling that day.

The resentment she felt toward her father took root in her heart like a weed. Every time he looked at the child and called her "daughter," it twisted deeper. To him, maybe it was just a way to save their mother—but to Shen Wei, it was a betrayal of the real Shen Li.

Her sister.

The one who truly belonged.