A tremor ran through Tang Wen's fingertips, the rising tide within him threatening to crest into a full-scale tsunami.

—Ziye was his sister?

It was devastatingly tragic!

For the first time, Tang Wen felt a crack in his composure, and he gently coaxed his mother, "How did you find out?"

Mrs. Tang wiped away her tears and activated the light screen for him to see.

On it was Ziye’s hospital birth certificate, the names of the father and mother clearly listed.

Tang Wen finished reading, his fingers shaking. "Could it be a case of a shared name?"

But beyond the names, there was the DNA comparison report; everything was laid bare, leaving him no room to even construct an excuse for his father. Tang Wen had always detested excuses, yet now he found himself scrambling to invent justifications for his father and for Ziye. He softly comforted his mother.

His mother was in the prime of her life; even without makeup, her beauty showed no sign of aging. But this blow had stripped away her veneer of composure, sending her instantly back twenty years. Her heart had aged.

Suddenly, Tang Wen understood: he was the apple of his mother’s eye, and now, her sole support. The responsibility of a man always included looking after his mother. He was a man, and he ought to hold the sky up for her.

Tang Wen took a wet cloth and meticulously wiped the tears from her face. "Mom, let's go pay a visit to this lady."

Mrs. Tang asked, "After all these years, does it even matter?"

"At least we'll understand what happened before we can truly let go, won't we? You rest for a bit, and we'll go after we've eaten something."

Mrs. Tang, having lost all direction, obediently followed her son's plan.

After coaxing her to sleep, Tang Wen slipped out of the room, gently closing the door. He turned to Bran, who was waiting outside. "Did you find anything?"

Bran opened his light screen and sent him the files. "The Sect Master doesn't know Ziye exists. That woman dumped the child at an old welfare home director’s, never visiting her. Two years later, she married a mechanical engineer and is currently a manager at a company. If you wish to meet her, I can arrange it."

Tang Wen pondered for a long moment. "Schedule it for four o'clock this afternoon."

Bran nodded and moved aside to make the hyper-call.

Tang Wen sat down on the sofa, covering his face, and unexpectedly began to laugh. He wasn't sure if he was laughing at the capriciousness of fate or the smallness of the world. Ziye was his sister… the only person he had ever liked.

Memories of every moment spent with Ziye flashed before his eyes like scenes in a revolving lantern. Ziye was the only one whose mind could keep pace with his. Ziye was the only female whose company felt truly pleasant. Ziye was the only one who filled him with expectation.

In the end, Ziye turned out to be his full sister. Tang Wen leaned back on the sofa and mused quietly; perhaps he should actually be happy. From now on, he could tease her without reservation. He could also guide her to become even more outstanding. Ziye as a sister was infinitely better than having some useless girl as a sister. He felt a sense of relief.

Tang Wen was the kind of person who could readily accept reality; once he embraced the identity of an elder brother, everything resolved itself easily.

He walked back into the room. His mother lay rigid on the bed, unmoving, eyes wide open, lost in thought. She had moved past the initial shock, leaving only an endless exhaustion. Concerned by her state, Tang Wen pulled a chair to the bedside, sat down, and held her hand. "Mom, are you angry with Dad?"

Mrs. Tang’s eyes flickered towards him, her voice dry. "I just don't know what to do. I’ve known him for thirty years, married for twenty-six, and always trusted him completely. But suddenly, that trust is shattered. I don’t know how to face him anymore."

Tang Wen sighed silently. He understood the depth of his mother’s feelings for his father, and he understood her disdain for mistresses. He still remembered her reaction when a certain actress from Long Yi Entertainment had a scandal about being a homewrecker. She had found the actress and told her, "The essence of our Long Yi Group is to produce film and television programs, enriching the spiritual lives of the audience, not using our faces to break up other people’s families, nor leveraging the company’s name for cheap gossip. We don't need you. Starting today, you are no longer part of Long Yi."

The actress had left Long Yi in a furious huff, defecting to a rival company where she promptly soared to near-diva status. Many people felt his mother had overreacted, losing a talented individual for nothing, and asked her, "Do you regret letting her go back then?" His mother had simply smiled faintly: "I do not. What does being a diva matter? No amount of glamorous packaging can hide the fact that she is someone who destroys a family. In this interstellar age, with clones shaking the foundations of the family unit, few people care about marital fidelity. Most people merely reserved their judgment out of respect for her position as the founder of Long Yi."

It wasn't until years later, when the now-Diva actress’s reputation was utterly ruined, that Tang Wen recalled his mother saying one thing: "For some people, if they do it once, they will do it again, until they finally destroy themselves. I will never accept infidelity for any excuse or reason; that is my final line!" He had wholeheartedly agreed with this statement.

But now, the adulterer was his own father. Tang Wen knew he had no standing to judge. He only felt deep sympathy for his mother.

After a pause, he said, "I've arranged to meet the other person; shall we go see her shortly?"

Mrs. Tang looked at Tang Wen but didn't answer his question. Instead, she asked, "Son, if your father and I are no longer together one day, will you blame me?"

Tang Wen was startled. "Mom, what are you planning to do?"

Mrs. Tang sighed slowly. "If you want to meet that person, then go. Mommy won't be joining you; there’s no point in me going. If your sister wants to come back to the Tang Clan, she can."

Tang Wen was exceptionally astute and immediately grasped her intent; she was this fiercely principled, choosing to leave.

"Mom, please don't do this, okay? Mom?"

Mrs. Tang forced a smile and patted his head. "You have always been my only son. Go on now, Mommy needs a little more sleep."

Tang Wen wanted to say more, but seeing the resolute expression on his mother’s face, he nodded, turned, and walked out the door.

Bran said, "The appointment time is almost here. Shall we head over now?"

"You stay here and watch her. I'll go alone." With that, he left, went to the landing platform, and piloted his shuttle to the meeting.

Tang Wen arrived at the designated coffee shop precisely at four o'clock. The café was quiet. Tang Wen pushed open the door and immediately spotted the woman described in Bran’s investigative data. She was drinking coffee, but without any discernible pleasure; the most expensive brew probably tasted the same as plain boiled water to her. How could his mother have been betrayed by someone like this?

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