Cecilia Sterling stood up, walked over, and wrapped her sister in a tight hug. "Lily, you have to know, no matter what the truth is, it can’t change the fact that we’re a family."
"Mom, Auntie and Uncle, Ethan, Sarah, Ronald, and me... all of us... we’ll always be your family. A family that even blood can’t separate."
"Your sister’s right. It’s been so many years, we’d long since forgotten about this," Yvonne Sterling said.
Brendan Harris grabbed two tissues and handed them to Lily Sterling. "Wipe your tears."
Lily Sterling asked helplessly, "So, those two people at the event today... were they really my biological father and sister?"
Jasmine Sterling shook her head and sighed. "There’s no way for anyone to confirm that, because I’ve never seen them either. Back then, when I found you on that park bench, it was around noon. I wrapped you in my jacket and waited until dark, but no one ever came back. That’s when I knew you’d been abandoned."
"But..." Jasmine Sterling trailed off, before finally voicing her suspicion, "That girl really did look a lot like you, so it’s a real possibility."
"Lily, you’re a grown woman now. Since I’ve told you everything, I’ll also respect your decision." Jasmine Sterling looked at her, her tone serious. "If you want to acknowledge them, I won’t stop you."
"I don’t want to." Lily Sterling shook her head and refused without a second thought. She said firmly, "I have a family. I have a mother and a sister."
Brendan Harris sneered from the side. "I doubt they’re sincere about reconnecting with Lily. They only came looking for her because she’s a big star now. They’re probably just after money."
"I’ll take care of this matter for Lily and make sure it’s resolved cleanly. I just need a clear answer from her."
Cecilia Sterling asked, "Lily, you don’t want to acknowledge them, right?"
"I won’t. I absolutely refuse!" Lily Sterling said, wiping her tears.
"Good. With you saying that, I know what to do. Don’t worry. As long as I’m here, no one can force you to do anything, and no one can take you away from this family."
Cecilia’s firm stance was incredibly reassuring, instilling confidence in everyone else as well.
But the next second, Lily suddenly reached out and grasped her sister’s hand. "Sis."
Cecilia Sterling asked gently, confused, "What is it?"
Lily Sterling’s thin lips tightened in thought for a moment. Then, as if she had made up her mind, she spoke. "This matter... I want to handle it myself. Is that okay?"
"Lily, wouldn’t it be better to let your sister handle it?" Jasmine Sterling said instinctively. "You have a soft personality. They’ll take advantage of you."
Yvonne Sterling and Brendan Harris also had worried expressions. Clearly, in their eyes, Cecilia was the one capable of handling things on her own.
"Mom, I won’t let them push me around." Lily Sterling lifted her face. Though there were still wet tear tracks on her cheeks, her gaze was resolute. "Because I know that no matter what I do, my sister will always be behind me, supporting me."
Hearing her sister say this, Cecilia Sterling couldn’t help but break into a knowing smile.
’In that moment, she truly felt the change in her sister. She was no longer timid and cowardly, no longer fearful of the unknown.’
"If that’s what you want to do, then I’ll support you." Cecilia Sterling patted her sister’s shoulder. "Don’t worry. It’s not the end of the world."
*
「Early the next morning, in the train station’s ticket hall.」
Tanya Hughes was woken by the cold.
The sky was still a dim gray. Huddled in a corner, she pulled out her phone to check the time. It was just past six in the morning.
She suddenly sneezed, waking her father beside her.
"Why’re you up?" Leopold Hughes asked, turning his head groggily to look at his daughter.
"It’s too cold, Dad." Tanya Hughes sat up. There was only a thin piece of clothing between her and the freezing floor.
She took a thermos from her bag. "I’m going to get some hot water."
Leopold Hughes sat up too. "Well, I’m not going back to sleep either. There are breakfast vendors on the street outside. I’ll go buy something. What do you want to eat?"
"Just some sticky corn is fine."
"How is that enough? I’ll buy you some steamed buns, and a tea egg, too."
"We should save our money. We don’t know how long we’ll have to stay in Lorcain."
Leopold Hughes’s eyes widened. "We’re going to Lily’s agency today! Wh-when she sees her real dad and her real older sister, you think she won’t put us up in a hotel and get us some good food? You two are twins, you know."
"That’s only if she’s willing to acknowledge us," Tanya Hughes said, her head a bit clearer.
But Leopold Hughes was unfazed. "Is it up to her whether she acknowledges us or not? If she doesn’t, I’ll go online and expose her. A big star who refuses to recognize her own father and sister. We’ll see if she’s scared then."
"You, go get the hot water. Hurry back. Don’t let anyone steal our stuff. I’m gonna go check out the street. I’m craving a savory crepe."
Tanya Hughes dug out her toiletries case and went to the restroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. In Lorcain, the winter tap water was cold enough to make your teeth ache, but Tanya seemed used to it.
Brushing her teeth with cold water, washing her face with cold water.
It was the same at home in the winter. The faucet had no hot water function; it was cold water all year round.
She looked up, gazing at the face in the mirror—the same face as Lily Sterling. ’It’s supposed to be the same,’ she thought, ’but I feel like everything about it is different.’
’Lily Sterling on TV is so beautiful. Her clothes are beautiful, her makeup is beautiful.’
’And me?’
’People have told me I’m pretty, too, but that’s as far as it goes.’
’Same face, different fates.’
’If I had been the one abandoned back then, would I be today’s Lily Sterling?’
"So expensive! This little bit of food cost me forty yuan. This steamer basket only has seven buns; back home, a basket has ten. This must be The Capital for you, they really don’t treat an ordinary person’s money like it’s worth anything."
Listening to her father’s grumbling, Tanya Hughes grew annoyed. "I told you not to buy it, but you insisted. Now you’re complaining after you’ve bought it. A sticky corn would have been enough for me. You eat more."
"No, you eat, you eat." Leopold Hughes chuckled slyly. "I’m counting on you for this trip. If I came alone, I could scream my lungs out and no one would believe me. It’s a good thing you two are identical twins. Even if people don’t want to believe it, they’ll have to."
"Then when we go to Lily Sterling’s company today, if we get to see her, you need to have a better attitude. You’re the ones who abandoned her. You have to admit you were wrong. Otherwise, why should she acknowledge you?" Tanya Hughes reminded him, enunciating every word.
Leopold Hughes nodded repeatedly. "Yes, I know."
"Don’t be unreasonable and cause a scene. We’re the ones in the wrong to begin with. If you make yourself obnoxious, we’ll have even less chance of her acknowledging us."
Leopold nodded again. "Got it, got it."
"Here, eat this egg. I peeled it for you."
"You didn’t even wash your hands. You eat it. I’ll peel my own."
"Tsk, now you’re acting disgusted by your own father..."
The father and daughter finished their breakfast huddled in the corner, bickering the whole time.
At nine in the morning, the two of them, carrying heavy backpacks and braving the cold wind, found their way to the headquarters of Locke Entertainment based on an address they’d found online.
Leopold Hughes looked up. The building was at least fifty or sixty stories high. He clicked his tongue in amazement. "Oh, my heavens, this building is so tall. It’s making me dizzy just looking at it."