Chapter 69

A few days ago, I told Yuchun that our family built a rocket, and it's called Zihan because I wanted to commemorate your three's mother in this way, choosing to launch it three days later also to commemorate that special day—you are the mother who, with all your effort, brought you into this world.

Speaking of this, Xiao Ming's eyes were full of deep affection.

Good heavens.

Dad!

Xiao Jingrou and Xiao Yuchun, upon hearing this, suddenly had tears well up in their eyes and cried movingly.

Xiao Yunzhe, upon hearing this, though not as sensitive as his two sisters, couldn't help but his eyes turned red.

Zihan!

……

Abroad, the nation's largest aviation technology company held a press conference on November 6 and announced a piece of news.

AT Company will, in three days, that is November 9, launch a rocket named "Zihan" into space.

After this news was released, people worldwide were shocked.

Especially in the country where Xiao Ming resides, netizens learned of this news via Kuaishou, TV news channels, Weibo, etc., and the entire internet exploded.

On that rocket, several large characters were clearly embossed: Zihan!

Both Chinese and English are present.

Netizens were very puzzled: why would a rocket made by a foreign company be given a Chinese name, and moreover, the name clearly looks like a person's name from Mi Guo.

Dad, is this really our family's rocket?

At the time the whole internet was shocked, at Yuxi Villa, Xiao Jingrou, Xiao Yuchun, and Xiao Yunzhe, the three siblings, were utterly shocked as well.

Xiao Ming nodded firmly and said, "On the surface, this rocket belongs to AT Aviation Technology Company, but more than ten years ago, when the company was first established, I anonymously invested a lot of money into it, holding a forty-two percent stake in AT Company."

"Anonymity was because aerospace technology is a relatively sensitive field; staying anonymous avoids many unnecessary troubles, so I am one of the largest shareholders of AT Company."

"However, that was before; this time the company launched a new project, I invested forty billion yuan, increasing my share from the previous forty-two percent to fifty-one percent, my holdings exceeding those of all other AT shareholders, making me AT Company's largest controlling shareholder—in other words, I am the behind-the-scenes big boss of this company."

"On the surface, AT Company's president is Louis."

After finishing his explanation, Xiao Ming calmly waved his hand: "It's nothing; you three seem to have missed the point—what you should be concerned about isn't the launch in three days, but how you three will spend your birthdays?"

"Dad." Xiao Jingrou and Xiao Yuchun cried with tears like pear blossoms in the rain.

"Dad, I never expected you to remember our birthdays, and not to have forgotten our mother."

Xiao Yuchun cried, saying, "Since Mother left, we three have never celebrated a birthday again; it's too lonely."

After Wen Zihan passed away, the three siblings tacitly never mentioned birthdays again.

To the three siblings, that was an extremely sorrowful day.

Birthdays ought to be happy days.

But for them, without father or mother, where could happiness come from?

After Mother's death, they, helpless and dependent on no one, those years they lived were truly miserable.

So, any birthday—after Mother was gone, this day ceased to exist in the lives of the three siblings.

How could Xiao Ming not understand the children's suffering? After investigating how those kids had spent those years, he became all the more determined to properly compensate them.

He pulled the children into his embrace and gently said, "Kids, from now on I will accompany you three in celebrating your birthdays every year."

"Mm." Xiao Jingrou and Xiao Yuchun responded emotionally.

Xiao Yunzhe, also deeply moved, shouted, "Okay, thank you, Dad."

Although he is often treated differently from his two sisters, he can understand his father's intentions; from then until now, he has truly felt his father's love for the three siblings.

He truly holds the three siblings in the palm of his hand.

At this moment.

In Lanxinyuan, Anjin City, Xie Lingyu, who had just returned from a morning run and turned on the TV, upon seeing this news, suddenly slumped onto the sofa, her face full of sorrow.

These years, Xiao Ming's side has had only her as a woman; at first she thought he kept her because he had her in his heart, but over time she realized she had never entered that man's heart.

Wen Zihan is who she is, Xie Lingyu knows.

"So, the person in his heart has always been only her."

"But perhaps this is why I love him so much—I love his devotion, yet I am helpless against his devotion."

Xie Lingyu gave a bitter smile.

Xiao Ming, it's been quite a while since he paid her any attention, adding to the sorrow already in Xie Lingyu's heart.

"At this time, he might be filming his several children having breakfast." Xie Lingyu muttered, her heart full of envy.

"Ah!" she sighed long and deeply, turned off the TV, and went to the bathroom.

After soaking long in the warm bathroom, her inner gloom eased considerably.

At the same moment, in the Geng household.

Geng Jing Shu, after seeing on TV the news that AT Company would launch a rocket, was completely dumbfounded.

She didn't even notice the soy milk she was holding spilling onto the floor.

"Jing Shu, what's wrong with you?" Seeing her daughter's state, Geng Tianhua asked, following her gaze to the TV with puzzlement: "Quite impressive, huh—this foreign company's big rocket actually bears the name of a person from our Wuxingguo."

"What's there to be amazed about? It's just a name; they can name it however they like." Sun Xuehua, who was eating breakfast, casually replied.

"What do you know? Imagine if our Wuxingguo people made a rocket and used another country's person's name for it—what would you think that means?"

"I've heard of this Louis fellow—he's into electric cars, an internationally famous big billionaire; his self‑researched big rocket is about to go to space, yet the rocket's name uses a Mi Guo person's name, which is quite puzzling."

"At first glance, it's clearly a woman's name; there's definitely a story behind it."

"Dad, don't spout nonsense." At this moment, Geng Jing Shu regained her composure and said solemnly, "I remember Yunzhe's mother's name is Wen Zihan."

Clatter!

Geng Tianhua reached out to pick up the porridge bowl, but was so startled he couldn't hold it; the bowl fell to the floor and shattered into pieces, leaving him stunned for a long time.

After two minutes, Geng Tianhua finally managed to speak in disbelief: "You say Yunzhe's mother is called Wen Zihan? This rocket is named Zihan—doesn't that mean there's a significant connection with the in‑laws' side?"

Geng Jing Shu could not be certain, but she also guessed about seventy or eighty percent: "I think it should be closely related; I remember that three days later is Yun Zhe and his siblings' birthday."