Chen Linyun tightened his grip around his mobile phone and gritted his teeth.  The man sounded casual as if their relations.h.i.+p as a family was a given from the very start, and it was nothing too complicated or to fuss about.

The man's att.i.tude irked him more since he seemed to be at his wits' end already while solving the puzzle of his ident.i.ty but this man still appeared so cool about it.  He seemed to know all along while he didn't.

Torn, he sat a few minutes more inside the car.  However, he couldn't dilly-dally more than he would want to because every second counts for Sola.  He was afraid that the person would optimize the time he was with Sola to embed in her brain whatever falsehood he would want her to think.  It wouldn't be healthy for a teenage girl to believe and trust someone that would potentially hurt her in the future.  It would definitely scar her for life afterwards.

Inhaling sharply, he buckled his seatbelt and eventually disembarked from his car, regardless of how much he didn't want to go inside.  He dragged himself and prepared his sanity for whatever has to come.  However, he felt that no prior preparations would suffice at that instance.  Yet, he did his best to come in prepared.

The restaurant staff welcomed him and asked for his appointment.  He provided the details and was led to a function room down the hall.  The place was exquisite, meaning, only privileged people would have afforded its services.  

The 'father' seems loaded.

Now standing at the front of the function room, Chen Linyun thanked the restaurant staff - a signal for him to leave him alone, which he did.

His heart couldn't have thumped louder at any given time.  The urge to vomit was still there.  He looked pale as if he was sick.  

'Alright, let's get it over and done with.  This is bound to happen anyway.  If not now, sometime down the road, it will happen again.'

He knocked thrice, and a man's voice responded with "Come in." It was the same deep seasoned voice he talked to earlier on the phone.

With a deep, deep breath, he pulled the sliding door sideways and entered.

He only took a few steps before he stopped in his tracks.

"!!!!"

"Sit down, Chen Linyun." The older man ordered in a neutral tone.  He seemed pleased by Chen Linyun's decision to join them.

However, Chen Linyun was frozen at the same spot.  "You?  It's you?!" As he questioned, sweat trickled down his temple.  'What prank is this?'

"Linyun-ge, what's wrong?  Do you know him?" Sola asked, her anxious face betrayed her emotions.  Turning to the older man she probed, "Father?  Have you two met before?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact.  I must say not in good terms, too, that's why I am quite dubious how to approach your brother."

The older man urged Chen Linyun once more, "Sit down, let's talk.  Let's discuss this whole family thing.  You must be utterly surprised."

"Sola, let's go." Chen Linyun firmly commanded.

"But Linyun-ge!!!" Kang Sola was nearing tears.  She felt that it would be a wasted opportunity for all of them to just sit down and know each other if they will be going to leave soon. "Please take a seat first."

"Didn't you hear me?  I'm sorry if I am breaking my promise but we cannot trust this man, Sola.  Don't trust this man!  Stand up now.  Let's go."  Chen Linyun was becoming forceful.  His face contorted into a frown.

"No!" Kang Sola rebelled against him. "If you want, you can go ahead and leave this place but I'm not going with you!  All my life I had wanted to meet my father, share a meal just like this one.  All my life, I just wanted to have a family of my own - a father, mother and siblings, if there are any.  But I know it's impossible to be with Mother, as she already left this world… But… But… Father and you... You're here!"

"It's a dream come true for me… Do you need to shatter this dream?  Can't you stay for a good hour or two and just suck it up for a bit?" Kang Sola pleaded with a cracked voice.  She started sobbing.

"Sola…" Chen Linyun was moved by his sister's spiel. 'Oh great, I made her cry.  But this man…'

He tried to recall the few exchanges he had with this man in the past.  He couldn't think of any particular instance which they fought intensely or ended in a bad note except for that one circ.u.mstance when he turned down his job offer… And things spiraled from there.  

'It was his son I am not in good terms with.'

'Wait, if it's his son, too, and he's claiming paternity over Sola and myself, then… would that mean, he's our sibling too?  No way.'

Chen Linyun's face blanched from his a.n.a.lysis.  With Sola's crying, he reckoned that the best decision would be what Kang Sola had just proposed.  

And so, he sat down silently and picked up the unused chopsticks. "Stop crying.  I'll do as you say.  But you're not off the hook yet.  We'll discuss this further at home.   You have some explaining to do.  Eat."  

While sniffing and wiping her tears with her palms, Kang Sola took several calming breaths, and then threw a big bear hug sideways at Chen Linyun who sat beside her.  "Thank you, Ge-ge! Thank you!  Thank you!" She even kissed his cheek.

"Eat.  Finish your food." Chen Linyun retorted with a poker face.  'Then, we will leave.' He added in his mind.

 Towards the older man, he said, "Chairman s.h.i.+, I don't fully believe what you are claiming right now.  I'll believe it after it has been validated by science.  I recommend that we take a test."

"Certainly." The older man agreed readily.

"May I just ask, how am I related to… No… What is your real relation to… s.h.i.+ Fan Hai?"

The older man arched a brow.  "It's a tricky question.  You see, Chen Linyun, you are s.h.i.+ Fan Hai."

"!!!"

"What?!"

Kang Sola darted her eyes from her father to her brother and back, while biting onto the end of her chopsticks.  She couldn't understand the turn of the conversation. 'Who's s.h.i.+ Fan Hai?'

Chen Linyun's blood rushed to his head.  "What are you saying?  Excuse me?" He sprung into his feet.  "What other falsehood are you spouting?"

Chairman s.h.i.+ raised one arm rea.s.suringly at Chen Linyun, intending to stop his shock in time. "s.h.i.+ Fan Hai is my biological son, and you are him.  The person you are referring to, and the person you know as s.h.i.+ Fan Hai, is your half brother, Han Fengyu who had taken your place all these years."

"As long as you accept me as your father, the position and the t.i.tle would return to you.  I needed to do it to fill in the position that had been vacated for years."

As he explained, the sliding door opened and revealed the very same man they were talking about.

Kang Sola cried out, "Oppa!  You're here, too!"