After the interview, Sophia Shaw was still buzzing with excitement.
She made a special trip to see Seraphina Vaughn.
When Seraphina Vaughn found out that Sophia intended to help her master restore his citizenship and return to the country, she was also thrilled.
"Thank you, Faye! You truly are my best friend and my idol!"
Having grown up with Old Master Sloan, Seraphina understood his heart’s desires better than anyone.
"Back then, staying in the country meant leaving his aerospace career behind forever, destined for a life of working the fields with a hoe and sickle. He couldn’t bear to part with his work, so leaving was his only option."
"Even so, he still wanted to make one last effort to stay. Who knew so much would happen afterward? His love was arrested, and they were inexplicably branded as traitors."
"If he had stayed in the country under those circumstances, he would have just been shot."
"But... but Father couldn’t bear to leave his love. If his fiancée hadn’t been swept away by the flood, he might not have even survived until now..."
"It was a problem of the times. Father was in pain, but he never blamed anyone. He just doesn’t want to carry this stigma for the rest of his life. He wants to come home innocent."
"He wants to live to contribute his remaining expertise to Cathan’s space program, and when he dies, he wants to be buried in the land where his beloved once lived."
Seraphina couldn’t go on, her tears falling uncontrollably.
Sophia Shaw gently patted her back.
Once she had calmed down, Sophia said, "Let’s go get a meal. You should invite your teacher, too."
Seraphina had recently been promoted to principal cellist, and her progress was inseparable from that teacher’s guidance. Sophia had always been grateful and wanted to thank her in person.
But to her surprise, Seraphina sighed deeply. "Don’t even talk about it. My teacher left."
"How could she leave? Where did she go?"
Seraphina shook her head, looking dejected. "She just suddenly stopped coming one day. The orchestra director said she was gone, but he doesn’t know where she went."
Although the teacher had a cold personality, she was incredibly dedicated when teaching her. Seraphina both respected and adored her.
Seraphina was too embarrassed to tell Sophia that she had cried for a very long time on the day she found out her teacher had left.
"Honestly, my teacher... she left without even telling me. I could have at least... said goodbye."
Sophia couldn’t help but recall the girl’s lonely, slender back. ’Such a young girl, yet she seemed to carry an endless sorrow on her shoulders.’
’What on earth has she been through?’
When Sophia Shaw got home, Cedric Grant was there.
He no longer skulked around like before, because Sophia had given him permission to come and spend time with his little sister when he was free.
Seeing Sophia return, Cedric Grant proactively took the bag from her hand and announced loudly, "Mama, I finished all my homework and even prepared for tomorrow’s lessons before I came over."
"Very good." Sophia patted his cheek.
Cedric Grant scurried back gleefully to continue playing with Bun.
Sophia also spent a little while with the two of them.
When Auntie Archer called them for dinner, Sophia picked up Bun to wash her hands and go to the table.
Cedric Grant placed two bowls in front of him: one with the congee for Bun, and the other for his own meal.
He would feed Bun a spoonful, then take a bite himself.
"Cedric, let me feed her," Auntie Archer said, unable to just stand by and watch.
Cedric Grant quickly shook his head. "No, it’s okay, Auntie Archer. I like feeding Bun."
"Like big brother," Bun chimed in supportively, opening her mouth wide for Cedric Grant with an "Ahhh."
Seeing how well the two children—one big, one small—got along, Auntie Archer felt a wave of heartwarming relief.
A moment later, as if remembering something, she took out an invitation. "This was delivered today. Take a look."
Sophia Shaw looked down and was surprised to see Jaden Rhodes’s name. Her face filled with shock. "Brother Jaden... is getting engaged?"
Jaden Rhodes was a little older than Vincent Grant, but there had never been any news about him getting married.
Auntie Archer nodded. "I heard he’s going to take over the family business right after the engagement."
That was the only thing she had managed to ask about; she didn’t know anything else.
Sophia didn’t press for more details, though she did recall that someone had pursued Jaden Rhodes long ago. She was said to be the heiress of a wealthy family, a perfect match for him in terms of social standing.
Both families were quite supportive of the match, but Jaden Rhodes himself never relented.
’He’s older now,’ she thought. ’Perhaps he’s finally let go of some of his old attachments.’
Sophia couldn’t help but think of the girl he had been searching for all this time, and she let out a soft sigh.
***
The interview segment with Nathan Nash had an excellent reception. After hearing Old Master Sloan’s heartfelt story, many people online expressed their support for him through various channels.
With Vincent Grant’s help, Sophia did two more interviews that had an even greater impact.
Not long after the interviews were finished, Julian Grant called her. "Faye, regarding your teacher’s situation, there are some people who would like to meet you."
Julian Grant came to pick Sophia up himself.
She hadn’t seen him in over half a year, but Julian Grant’s presence was unchanged—his posture as straight and imposing as a mountain.
"Uncle," Sophia said. Now that she and Vincent were divorced, she had changed her form of address.
Julian Grant nodded. "Let’s go."
His tone was filled with a gentle warmth for someone of a younger generation.
It wasn’t until they arrived at their destination and she saw who was waiting that Sophia realized why Julian Grant had come to pick her up personally.
The people she was meeting were of an incredibly high rank.
They were all major figures you would normally only see on the news.
This fact, more than anything, proved just how much importance they placed on Old Master Sloan.
The important figures asked detailed questions about everything related to Old Master Sloan.
Finally, the leader of the group warmly shook Sophia’s hand. "It’s rare to find such a good student, willing to go to such lengths for her teacher. We understand Old Master Sloan’s wishes. To be frank, he has always been one of the talented individuals we hoped to bring back."
"We will conduct a rigorous investigation into the historical issues surrounding Old Master Sloan. If it’s confirmed that he was wronged, we will do everything in our power to resolve it!"
"As for NASA, we will handle the negotiations to ensure a perfectly smooth process!"
"Thank you."
Sophia knew that her teacher’s past accusations were not the most difficult part to solve. The real challenge was that he was one of NASA’s top scientists and possessed a great deal of critical information.
It was practically impossible that NASA would allow such a scientist to return to his home country.
But with these major figures stepping in, things would become much simpler.
It felt as if a great weight had been more than halfway lifted from her heart.
At the end of the month, Axewood Manor called to inform Sophia Shaw that her clothes were ready for pickup.
Sophia scheduled a time and drove to Axewood Manor.
She was once again greeted by the same woman from her last visit.
The woman led her to an inner room and brought out the finished garments. "Take a look."
Sophia looked down and examined them.
The craftsmanship was exquisite, simply impeccable.
Sophia paid the remaining balance and couldn’t help but ask, "And where is Master Yates?"
"Oh, her? She recently took on a young apprentice. She’s in the back teaching right now."
The woman sighed as she spoke. "I never thought a young girl these days would be willing to learn this craft. Every step in making cloud silk is repetitive and demands extreme precision. Most young people are afraid of the hassle, but she’s a very dedicated student."
Hearing the woman’s praise, Sophia couldn’t help but become curious.
As they were leaving, the woman deliberately led her past the room where Sylvie Yates was teaching.
Sophia glanced over and saw Sylvie Yates, a gentle expression on her face, teaching a girl with a ponytail how to weave cloud silk, her hands guiding the girl’s own.
A sliver of sunlight from outside flickered across the girl’s face, creating a flash of golden light that made Sophia squint.
When Sophia got a clear look at the mask on the girl’s face, she froze. "It’s her?"