From Broken Family to Life Winner: A Reborn Mother's Journey

The next day, Su Li went to her appointment as scheduled. Little Tang Mo had been very clingy to her lately and wanted to go along, which Su Li naturally didn’t mind.

Well, it wasn’t just Little Tang Mo who was clingy. Su Li was just as attached to him.

Before they left, Su Li made one phone call and received another.

The call she received was from Tang Yuanxiao. He told Su Li that Father Miao’s fever had broken and he was now resting, so she shouldn’t worry too much.

He also said he would be returning to the Imperial City that afternoon.

Su Li didn’t chat with him for long. After a few words, she passed the phone to Little Tang Mo.

Little Tang Mo and Tang Yuanxiao’s relationship could be considered back to normal after Little Tang Mo had called him ”Dad.”

They hadn’t spent much time together before, and after everything they had been through, plus the fact they didn’t live together, it was impossible for them to be like a typical father and son.

Still... just being on normal terms was already a huge improvement.

Little Tang Mo was a good, filial boy. Now that he had started calling him ”Dad” again, he would surely maintain a good relationship with Tang Yuanxiao, and he wouldn’t treat him any worse than a biological son would.

Su Li had no objections on this front.

Tang Yuanxiao’s feelings for Little Tang Mo were genuine. That was clear from his desperate efforts to find him after he was kidnapped this time.

Little Tang Mo chatted with Tang Yuanxiao for a few minutes before hanging up.

As Su Li listened to the sound of Little Tang Mo’s voice, her mind began to wander.

Her thoughts drifted to Lin Huanzhu.

Lin Huanzhu had parted ways with them after hearing the news that Little Tang Mo had been found.

She had mentioned finding an interesting lead—the one related to the vehicle carrying the trafficked women, the same one Little Tang Mo had sensed was off.

Once Little Tang Mo was safe, she had followed that lead and acted on her intuition.

In the end, she successfully rescued four girls, saving them from a terrible fate.

Lin Huanzhu’s capabilities were truly impressive.

Su Li really admired Lin Huanzhu. Moreover, based on her woman’s intuition, she sensed there was something different about the way Lin Huanzhu acted around Tang Yuanxiao.

’Even if I can’t be sure it’s love, I feel like there’s at least some attraction there.’

’If Tang Yuanxiao could end up with Lin Huanzhu, that would be pretty great...’

When Little Tang Mo finished his call, Su Li made one of her own—to Wu Sheng.

Wu Sheng had lost a lot of time searching for Little Tang Mo, so he had been busy ever since he got back.

But no matter how busy he was, he called whenever he had a free moment, as if wanting to confirm they were safe.

Since Su Li was about to go out, she wanted to let him know first.

After the call, Su Li took Little Tang Mo and left to meet Mr. Zhang.

Mr. Zhang came to pick Su Li up. The moment he saw Little Tang Mo, his eyes lit up.

”Little Mo!”

”Uncle Zhang!”

He called out warmly, and Little Tang Mo replied with equal enthusiasm.

”Good boy.” Mr. Zhang patted Little Tang Mo’s head and said in a low voice, ”Little Mo, you’re about to receive the ’Little Anti-Trafficking Hero’ award from a top leader.”

Little Tang Mo blinked. ”A top leader?”

”Mhm.” Mr. Zhang lowered his voice and said to Su Li, ”The higher-ups said that we need to give Little Tang Mo a proper award. A kid this brave, smart, and capable... they even mentioned a cash prize.”

There was actually more to it. The case was nearly closed, and the publicity department was coordinating with newspapers and TV stations. Reporters were already waiting in the wings, ready to report on the successful outcome of the anti-trafficking operation.

They even wanted Little Tang Mo to appear on camera as the ”Little Anti-Trafficking Hero” to help promote public awareness about trafficking.

However, this was a point of contention. Some were worried that exposing Little Tang Mo to the public would put him in danger.

Nothing had been decided yet, as the debate was still ongoing, so Mr. Zhang didn’t mention it.

Su Li overheard what Mr. Zhang said. She stroked Little Tang Mo’s head, her eyes filled with a proud smile.

’This is my Little Tang Mo. So amazing. How could anyone not adore him?’

Little Tang Mo smiled, a little shy, and looked curiously at the bustling crowd near the entrance. ”Uncle Zhang, why are there so many people here?”

As they walked inside, Mr. Zhang glanced over and said with a smile, ”They’re all parents who have rushed here from all over the country to find their children.”

”We found a lot of children this time, and the news was announced nationwide. If they couldn’t find their kids in their local counties or cities, they were told to come to the Imperial City to check.”

”Many parents have arrived from all over in the past two days. The rescued children are also being escorted from various places to be gathered here in the Imperial City.”

Mr. Zhang’s explanation made everything clear to Su Li.

The internet wasn’t widespread back then, and it wasn’t possible to compare DNA samples. The best method was for parents to come and identify their children in person.

”I hope they all find them,” Su Li said, looking back.

Little Tang Mo also looked back and nodded emphatically. ”Yeah, I hope they all find their moms.”

’Just like I found mine.’

Mr. Zhang looked at the mother and son, a smile in his eyes as he nodded in agreement.

It was only then that Su Li asked, ”Mr. Zhang, who was it you wanted me to see?”

Mr. Zhang hesitated for a moment. ”The leader of the criminal organization. He... he knows you and Tang Mo. He called you both out by name and has been insisting on seeing you.”

”Of course, we can’t just let him see you because he wants to. I just wanted to know if you recognize him.”

Su Li and Little Tang Mo exchanged a puzzled glance. ”I see.”

”Mhm. In a bit, I’ll take you to have a discreet look at him. If you recognize him, great. If not, we’ll just drop it.”

The reason Mr. Zhang had asked Su Li to come was because of something the man with the beard had said that deeply concerned him.

Beard had implied in his words that Su Li had also been captured by them, but clearly, nothing had ever happened to her.

Afterwards, Beard refused to say another word. No matter what they asked, he remained silent, but Mr. Zhang had a feeling there was more to the story.

Now, Beard was adamant that he would only cooperate with the investigation if he could see Little Tang Mo and Su Li. His unwilling, yet stubborn insistence baffled Mr. Zhang.

Mr. Zhang knew Little Tang Mo had been kidnapped once before and wondered if that was when they had met.

A few minutes later, Su Li and Little Tang Mo saw the man known as Beard.

However, both of them were completely baffled and had no real memory of him.

Little Tang Mo shook his head decisively, indicating he had never really seen the man before and didn’t recognize him at all.

Su Li stared at him, her expression just as confused, but she didn’t give an immediate answer.

She truly didn’t recognize the man, yet she felt a faint sense of familiarity.

’Especially that beard of his...’

When Mr. Zhang mentioned the circumstances of Little Tang Mo’s first kidnapping, Su Li wracked her brain for a while before finally dredging up a fragment of a memory.

”Him... I think I have seen him before. When I was looking for Little Tang Mo back then, I think he was the one on the train who grabbed my hair... He said I bumped into him...”

Su Li had a vague recollection of that, but she had absolutely no memory of meeting him a second time after that.

As Su Li tried hard to recall that moment, she couldn’t help but touch her head.

The small patch of her scalp where her hair had been yanked out was still bare. Her memory of the pain from that day was still vivid.

With that thought, everything suddenly started to make sense to Su Li.

”So, he knows us because I rescued Little Mo the last time he was kidnapped?”

Mr. Zhang listened and gave a grim nod. ”Most likely. According to his confession, he rarely got his own hands dirty, but he was present at the scene for most of the operations. He probably started holding a grudge against you back then.”

A chill ran down Su Li’s spine when she heard that.