Chen Jinzhao was dumbfounded.
His guess had been that his father was alive, but had undergone a genetic mutation that prevented him from meeting his son.
The reality was far beyond his imagination.
Li Qiurong looked at Chen Jinzhao, hesitating, "Do you understand now?"
Chen Jinzhao was speechless for a long time.
"It seems you didn't guess correctly before, otherwise you wouldn't be so surprised. Actually, we planned to tell you the truth three years ago because the Wu family had already been wiped out. But before we could tell you, other events transpired," Li Qiurong said with emotion.
Chen Jinzhao recalled Li Qiutao's every interaction with him, and understood why he sometimes felt his uncle was being excessively kind.
No—
That wasn't his uncle, but his father, Chen Yangfu.
The truth of things always came as a surprise.
"Why did he do this?" Chen Jinzhao asked.
He wanted to know why his father hadn't revealed himself, why he had returned to the Wu family after escaping the Divine Kingdom Research Institute and become their live-in son-in-law. These were all things Chen Jinzhao yearned to understand.
Li Qiurong took her son's hand, and with the other, she rubbed her eyes. "When you were born that year, you were very weak and almost died. Your father knew that your condition was due to inheriting his genes, so he had no choice but to change his identity and return to the Wu family to search for an antidote. Finally, in your fifth year, a medicine was found that allowed you to shed your frail body."
"But he also knew that that small amount of antidote was not enough."
"If you were to be completely free from the influence, to become a truly normal person, greater efforts would be needed."
This was why Chen Yangfu remained with the Wu family for over twenty years.
Unfortunately—
Even after the destruction of the Divine Kingdom Research Institute, Chen Yangfu had still not developed the so-called antidote.
"Where is he now?" Chen Jinzhao thought his mother must know.
After understanding everything, Chen Jinzhao harbored no blame towards Chen Yangfu, only wishing for his return so their family could reunite.
Family harmony was more important than anything else.
Li Qiurong sighed, "I don't know where he went either. I only know that in the two years before you disappeared, he would go to Dongying periodically, trying to find you. But since the Spring Festival last year, I haven't seen any sign of him."
Chen Jinzhao took a deep breath and said to Li Qiurong, "I will find him."
"I hope so," Li Qiurong nodded.
"By the way, what about Wu Lingyun…" Chen Jinzhao suddenly remembered this matter.
Li Qiurong understood what he wanted to ask and nodded. "Yes, Wu Lingyun is actually your half-sister. Wu Lingyun's situation hasn't been very good these past few years. She had the protection of the Wu family back then, but now the Wu family has vanished into thin air."
"If you have the capability, you can provide her with help within your means."
Chen Jinzhao's emotions churned.
These events were difficult to digest, and he could only passively accept them slowly.
"You should rest well. Wu Lingyun will be here tomorrow," Li Qiurong said.
A night passed.
At noon the next day, Wu Lingyun indeed arrived.
Chen Jinzhao hesitated whether to tell his sister the truth. Unexpectedly, Wu Lingyun said, "I actually knew already. Dad told me before he left."
"Alas…"
Chen Jinzhao didn't know what to say and could only sigh.
"What else did he say?" Chen Jinzhao asked.
"Did he tell you where he was going?"
Wu Lingyun hesitated, "He did. He said he was going to a very distant place and that I shouldn't worry about him. Besides that, Dad also said he would return within three years and asked us not to look for him. But I always felt that wasn't the whole truth."
Chen Jinzhao wanted to speak but stopped.
Wu Lingyun said, "Brother, don't think about these things anymore. Focus on getting better first."
"And you, how are you now?" Chen Jinzhao asked.
Wu Lingyun pursed her lips and smiled, "I'm fine. Sister Yu has been taking good care of me and hasn't let me be bullied. She also hired me for a key position in her company. Brother, you don't need to worry about me. In fact, I'm doing quite well now."
Chen Jinzhao nodded. That was good.
"By the way."
"What about your romantic life? Is there any man who dares to bully you? If there is, remember to tell me, and I'll teach him a lesson."
Wu Lingyun chuckled, "Brother, don't worry. Who would dare bully me? I tried to connect with Jiang Chenghui before, but later found out we weren't a good match. So Jiang Chenghui married someone else last year. I'm still single."
Chen Jinzhao understood.
His sister must still be thinking of Qin Fengwu.
"He's also married," Chen Jinzhao said.
Wu Lingyun knew who her brother was referring to, and her smile was no longer as natural. "It's okay. Being alone is fine too. At worst, I'll just never get married. I have you, my brother, to look after me, unless you're not my brother."
Chen Jinzhao chuckled.
Only now did he realize that his sister, like him, was a stubborn person, and sometimes her decisions were irreversible.
Everyone had a unique life, and Chen Jinzhao respected Wu Lingyun's choice.
Over the next few days, various people came to visit Chen Jinzhao. Among them was Luo Feng, who had grown to become one of the core members of the Candle Dragon Special Forces. Luo Feng had enlisted under Chen Jinzhao's encouragement and had later worked harder due to the news of Chen Jinzhao's death.
Seeing the Candle Dragon Special Forces filled with so many talented young individuals, Chen Jinzhao felt greatly comforted.
Even without him, the Candle Dragon Special Forces could still thrive.
A week later.
Chen Jinzhao's wounds had healed, and the stitches had been removed.
During these days, Yu Mengzhi and others had been taking care of him at the hospital, allowing Chen Jinzhao to recover quickly.
The day before Chen Jinzhao was scheduled to be discharged, Xu Nianqing arrived.
Dressed in black, Xu Nianqing appeared very cold, a stark contrast to the woman Chen Jinzhao remembered. After taking off her sunglasses, Xu Nianqing said, "I apologize. Some matters at the laboratory delayed me, preventing me from visiting you sooner."
Chen Jinzhao gave a wry smile. "It's enough that you came to see me."
"Congratulations. You've become the person you always dreamed of being."
Xu Nianqing's smile held a trace of bitterness.
She had poured immense effort into these research achievements, and the Kunlun Research Institute had lost several researchers in the process.
"This isn't just my achievement. It's the culmination of the hard work of all the staff at the Kunlun Research Institute," Xu Nianqing said, shaking her head.
Before Chen Jinzhao could respond, Xu Nianqing continued, "What's past is past. Let's talk about business. A few days ago, I had Yu Mengzhi send your blood samples to the research institute. I discovered several changes in your body."
"There's good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?"