Five years later
Andrew stood silently in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in the president's office at Xinyu Group. His posture was straight, but he looked lonely. He held an unlit cigarette between his fingers.
Outside the window, the city of Beijing was as busy and prosperous as ever. Cars moved non-stop, and people hurried past each other. But all that noise and life had nothing to do with him.
In these five years, Xinyu Group had become even more dominant in the city. Even Wind Media, the company he started out of anger five years ago, had risen to the top of the media industry in Beijing.
But while Andrew looked successful to the world, inside, he was a different person.
The man who once laughed easily and acted with confidence had become unpredictable, moody, and difficult to understand.
Assistant Ryan stood behind him, face full of worry.
"Still no news about her?" Andrew asked, his voice hoarse.
Assistant Ryan sighed silently in his heart. Boss, if you had realized all this five years ago, you'd probably already be a father by now.
Dr. Katherine really had guts. After that day, she vanished without a trace and stayed hidden for five whole years.
They had used all their contacts and connections, but there wasn't even a hint of where Katherine had gone.
"Boss, still nothing," he replied.
Andrew didn't react. He slowly pulled a lighter from his pocket. With a soft click, a blue flame lit up, reflecting on his tired-looking face.
Smoke rose around him as he took a long drag, the nicotine burning his lungs, as if he was looking for some kind of peace in that sharp sting.
"Alright, go back to work," he waved his hand. His silhouette, surrounded by smoke, looked even more worn and empty.
Assistant Ryan couldn't help but try again, seeing him smoke like this. "Boss, you really should cut back. The doctor told you again and again—no smoking or drinking. Your body can't take this kind of damage anymore."
Ever since Katherine left, Andrew had been numbing himself with alcohol.
At first, he thought he didn't care. He thought the divorce had set him free.
But when Katherine truly disappeared from his life, he started going crazy missing her.
In recent years, he developed serious insomnia. Even sleeping pills only gave him an hour or two of rest.
Seeing that Assistant Ryan hadn't left, Andrew asked in a low voice again, "Ryan, where do you think Katherine could have gone?"
"She gave three million to the Jiang family back then. She probably didn't have much money left. If she didn't have money, how far could she have gone?"
He had asked this question more than once.
If he knew, he would've already brought her back.
"Boss, maybe we'll hear something about Dr. Katherine soon. Let's wait just a bit longer."
"By the way, at 7 tonight, you need to attend Old Master Pei's birthday banquet with Miss Charlotte."
Andrew replied with a simple "Mm."
---
Airport
Vivi and Nurse Sana stood side by side at the arrival gate, eyes fixed on the exit.
Vivi's eyebrows tightened slightly, her face filled with anxious impatience. She whispered, "Sana, why isn't Katherine out yet? The flight landed quite a while ago."
Her voice held clear worry, like she feared something had gone wrong with the trip.
Nurse Sana smiled gently, trying to comfort her. "Katherine didn't come alone this time. She brought Big Bao and Little Bao with her."
"After landing, they still had to pick up their luggage. With so many bags and needing to look after two little kids, it's going to take some extra time. Let's be patient."
Emily sighed lightly and nodded, "Yeah, I was too anxious. I haven't seen them for months, and it feels like something is scratching at my heart."
Emily and Katherine had known each other for three years now.
Thinking back to their first meeting, it was an unexpected accident. Emily was almost dying, and Katherine didn't hesitate to step forward and save her from death.
Since then, Emily stuck close to Katherine.
Whenever she had free time, she went to find Katherine.
At first, it was to repay her kindness, but over time, she truly admired Katherine's talent and charm, not to mention Nathan and Sophie.
Every time she saw them, her heart melted. She wished she could give all the good things in the world to those two little ones.
Gradually, Katherine, Nurse Sana, and Emily became close friends who could talk about anything.
Soon, a few familiar and warm figures came into their sight.
Among the crowd, Katherine looked like a tall, elegant orchid, graceful yet gentle and strong.
She pushed a suitcase steadily with one hand while tightly holding a little girl's hand with the other.
The little girl looked about five years old, with messy black hair tied into two playful braids.
Her rosy cheeks bounced slightly with each step, and her big sparkling eyes were full of curiosity and liveliness, so cute that one couldn't help but want to pinch her cheeks.
Next to them, a little boy walked proudly, chest out and confident.
Also around five, his presence was already different from others. He had sharp eyebrows, beautiful features like a finely carved jade, so striking it was hard to describe.
When Emily first saw these two children, she couldn't help asking Katherine which amazing hospital she used for IVF to have such outstanding kids.
She even joked that if she decided not to marry, she would find a way to get such excellent genes through IVF.
Though it was a joke, seeing Nathan and Sophie getting smarter and better every time made her feel this more deeply.
Emily and Nurse Sana waved to them quickly, "Katherine, Nathan, Sophie."
Nathan was usually cold and serious. He felt these two aunts were sometimes even more childish than him.
Compared to Nathan, Sophie was much more lively and cheerful. She smiled sweetly and called out softly, "Aunt Emily, Aunt Charlotte."
The distance to the arrival gate quickly closed in a few steps, and Emily and Nurse Sana hurried forward.
Emily was the first to open her arms wide, pulling Nathan and Sophie into a hug and kissed their little faces.
Then she looked up at Katherine, "Finally, you're back. The trip must have been exhausting."
Katherine smiled, "It was okay. These two little ones behaved well all the way, no trouble."
Emily pinched their cheeks, "Nathan, Sophie, you're so good. Aunt Emily bought you lots of clothes and toys, just waiting for you to come."
"Later, I'll give them to you."
Nathan and Sophie said together clearly, "Thank you, Aunt Emily."
Nurse Sana opened her arms and hugged Katherine, "Katherine, welcome back."
Katherine smiled and hugged her back, "Thank you."
After five years, stepping back into this land, Katherine's heart was calm.
She just hoped not to meet that person.