IX: The Encounter
"Daiyu had a child when she was missing," she said.
The thought of her younger sister having a child was crazy, especially for Renxiang. Eleven years ago, Officer Lazar told her that Daiyu lived in the Satellite and passed away due to an illness she had. Despite her initial feelings on the touchy subject, the 51 year old still wanted to meet Liqiu, even though she was this bastard's daughter. Chunhua looked at her mother and tried to think about what was going on right now. She was 5 when her aunt went missing and 13 when her aunt died.
The 24 year old lady wasn't sure what to say about this. She was surprised to find out that she has a younger cousin. Chunhua didn't want to believe it, but her mother insisted on meeting this Liqiu girl. She looked down on her right forearm suddenly. The young lady has an orchid-shaped birthmark.
"If this girl is indeed my younger cousin, she must have the chrysanthemum mark," said Chunhua.
Both mother and daughter walked out of the bedroom. Outside the bedroom, a man around his mid-70s looked at the mother-daughter duo. Renxiang wasn't surprised to see the man in front of them.
He asked, "Are you going to meet her?"
"Yes, father," Renxiang replied.
The old man then asked, "Can I come and see her as well?"
"Are you sure you want to do that, grandfather?" questioned Chunhua.
He replied, "It's not every day that you get to see a grandchild. Plus, I want to give her something while we are there."
Both Renxiang and Chunhua don't know to say about this. The 75 year old man said it with such certainty. Also, both of them wondered what he was going to give the girl. There was no reason why he shouldn't go with them to the Sector Security building. They wanted to meet Liqiu, and they want to know if she was Daiyu's daughter.
All three of them walked out of the luxury house. Instead of having a driver to take them to their destination, Chunhua was going to drive to the Sector Security building. Mr. Shen and Renxiang waited while the 24 year old lady was going to get her car from the garage. A few minutes later, Chunhua drove towards the front of the house. Renxiang opened the passenger side of the car. Her father was the first to go inside the car. She went in afterward.
The 24 year old drove off once everyone was buckled up. Chunhua focused her eyes on the road ahead of her. Usually, their driver would take them to wherever they needed to go. Today was different since they were going to the Sector Security building. She doesn't know how long they were going to be there. Chunhua hoped that all goes well for today.
Back in the Sector Security building, Liqiu was in Detective Belmonte's office. The female detective bought the 16 year old some macarons and a black tea from a local French bakery that was near here. It wasn't much, but it was a nice gesture on her part. After being stuck in an interrogation room for hours would make anyone hungry. Liqiu seemed to enjoy the fancy French baked treats. She wasn't sure what people from the Satellite ate daily. Once she finished with the macarons and the tea, the Chinese teen threw out the box and the cup.
"Thank you for the macrons and the tea, Detective Belmonte," said Liqiu.
She replied, "You're welcome."
The female detective walked to her desk and waited patiently for the Shen Family to arrive. She thought about what could happen during the encounter. Marissa had heard stories about the Shen Family and how a former KaibaCorp employee ended up becoming a founder and owner of a prominent duel runner company. All she could do was to make sure Liqiu and the Shen Family are comfortable. Detective Belmonte also thought about a possible scenario that could happen.
Before she could finish that thought, Marissa heard a sudden knocking sound.
"Come inside," she said.
Her eyes focused on a fellow Sector Security officer as he walked inside. She walked towards him while wondering what he needed from her. Liqiu looked over at the officer, and her dark brown eyes went wide. He was the one who handcuffed once she arrived at the Sector Security building. The Sector Security officer looked straight at the lilac-haired teenager. He glared at the Satellite resident for a quick moment until his eyes focused on Detective Belmonte.
"I am here to tell you that the Shen Family has arrived," said the officer.
She replied, "Tell them to meet me in the room next door. We will be there in a few minutes."
"Will do, Detective Belmonte," he responded.
The Sector Security officer walked out of her office, and Detective Belmonte sighed to herself. It was finally time for a family to be reunited. It may be only temporary, but at least the Shens have a little more closure now. Her eyes shifted towards Liqiu. She saw the calm and relaxed expression on the teenager's face. It was a strange reaction since Liqiu was going to meet some of her family members for the first time. Maybe this is a new thing for Liqiu since she probably had been on her own for 11 years.
"Are you ready to go Liqiu?" she asked her.
Liqiu looked at her, and she gave a simple nod. It was the first time that she nodded instead of saying something to her. With that, the lilac-haired teenager stood from where she sat. Both she and Detective Belmonte walked out of the office and headed to the room on the right. Liqiu's eyes focused on the family that was inside the room. She thought about what might happen while they have their talk.
Liqiu wasn't sure what she could talk about, but she knew they would her ask her questions. Probably about herself and to some extent, her mother. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. Once she opened her eyes, Liqiu's expression was calm but with a hint determination. Detective Belmonte opened the door and walked into the room first. The Chinese teenager followed from behind.
Renxiang, Chunhua, and Mingyu watched as the Sector Security detective walked into the rule. The older woman's eyes focused on the teenage girl standing right next to the detective. She noticed the oil-stained coveralls the teenager had on. Renxiang thought about her niece's profession. As for physical features, the older woman could easily see the resemblance between her sister and her daughter. She had no doubts that Liqiu was her niece.
Chunhua also could see the same resemblance between her aunt and her younger cousin. Her brown colored eyes looked down at the teen's right forearm. The 24 year old woman saw the Chrysanthemum shape mark on her forearm. That was all the proof she needed. Just like her mother, Chunhua also wants to know more about her younger cousin.
Liqiu saw the three adults sitting at the table. She took the empty seat that was there. The lilac haired girl sat down, and her dark brown eyes looked directly at them. There was an awkward silence between the four of them for a good two minutes. Mingyu, Renxiang's father and Chunhua's grandfather smiled all of a sudden.
"You look just like your mother young lady," he said to her.
Liqiu replied, "Thank you, sir."
"There is no need to be formal. You can call me grandpa," Mingyu responded.
She said, "Of course, grandpa. A lot of people that she knew from the Satellite said I look just like her."
Renxiang looked at her niece and asked, "Can you tell me how you got your mother's deck?"
"It was on the day that she died. She gave me her deck and told them that they were my cards now. I had no clue that Sector Security was looking for the deck," responded Liqiu.
The older woman then asked, "Why you didn't know that?"
"One week after her death, my father abandoned me in the apartment, and I left my home the next day," she responded.
Renxiang frowned once the teen mentioned her father. It had been 19 years since the teen's father ran away with her mother. She wasn't surprised that he would abandon his daughter in a time of need. The Satellite wasn't exactly the safest place to live even for a young child. Renxiang questioned how this teen endured living in the Satellite for all those years. As much she wanted to ask the Chinese teenager that, the older woman didn't want to ask too many questions.
As for the young woman, Chunhua was happy to meet her younger cousin for the first time. Even though she was more focused on her birthmark, the 24 year old also wanted to know more about Liqiu as well.
"What do for a living?" asked Chunhua.
Liqiu replied, "I sell and barter legitimate duel runner parts in a small shop in the Satellite. During my free time, I like working on my duel runner or build stuff in my workshop. Just recently, a good friend of mine asked me to take care of kids that he was taking care off."
Renxiang's eyes widen with joy as she heard her niece say that she likes working on her duel runner. Her daughter looked right at her mother and groaned to herself. She smacked her forehead gently, which confused Liqiu. The Chinese teenager wasn't sure what she said that made them react that way.
"I'm sorry about that. My mom gets excited when it comes to duel runners," said Chunhua.
Liqiu replied, "I get it because I feel the same way about them too."
Renxiang smiled for a moment, but she thought about her niece's living conditions and her job. She believed someone passionate in dueling and working on duel runners should live in the city. Not long ago, a Satellite resident named Yusei Fudo won the Fortune Cup. If someone from the Satellite was able to accomplish such an achievement, Renxiang wanted to know if they're Satellite residents who can be useful in the city.
As much as she wanted to bring Liqiu to the city and live there, Renxiang wasn't sure if that was possible. She didn't want to force the teen to move to New Domino City. Mrs. Shen could tell that Liqiu is a smart teenager. Liqiu maybe can figure out what her true intentions are. But Renxiang also knew that she also needed to take a risk. Even though she will never get her sister back, the older woman wanted to allow her niece to stay in the city and learn more about her family.
"Can I ask you something, Liqiu?" wondered Renxiang.
Liqiu replied, "Yes, you can."
"Do you have any thoughts about living in New Domino City?" she asked her niece.
This ends the 9th chapter of Satellite Girl. Finally, Liqiu and the Shen Family have finally met for the first time. Even though things seem to be going well, the next chapter may change how this story will move on. For now, read and review.