Chapter 1: Twenty-Five Years Later

"I've been asleep for twenty-five years?"

When Evelyn heard these words, her eyes still carried an unexplainable moisture. Everything that happened in the past seemed like it just occurred yesterday. At the age of 18, she was diagnosed with a rare disease, forcing her to interrupt her education and budding career for treatment. After two years of medical trials, Dr. Lawrence decided it was time for a critical, life-saving surgery.

The success rate of this surgery was a mere 0.5%; success meant conquering the rare disease, failure meant death. Waking up, Evelyn thought the surgery must have been a success, and just as the joy of survival began to fill her heart, she received such startling news.

She looked at the doctor in front of her, unable to comprehend. The doctor's name was Chen, fifty years old this year, claiming to be a disciple of Dr. Lawrence.

Dr. Lawrence was only 28 years old, and he already had a disciple who was fifty?

Just a sleep, and upon waking up, twenty-five years had passed. This was a difficult pill for anyone to swallow.

"Yes." Dr. Charles looked at Evelyn with an indescribably excited glint in his eyes. "It's been twenty-five years, Evelyn. You've been frozen for a quarter of a century, and now you’ve awoken."

"Could you bring me a mirror?" Evelyn asked, still unclear about her current condition.

"A mirror?" Dr. Charles quickly realized, hurriedly instructing a nurse to fetch one.

Evelyn gazed at the girl in the mirror, with gentle, moist eyes and delicate, translucent skin. When she blinked, her curly lashes fluttered like tiny fans.

That was indeed her twenty-year-old self.

She had always been praised for her beauty. At seventeen, she had gotten into a film academy, but her studies were cut short due to the illness.

Looking at her unchanged visage, Evelyn felt some relief: "So, the year is now NIX2019, correct? And you were born in NIX1969?"

Dr. Charles nodded, observing Evelyn: "Yes. I was just 25 and a postgraduate student at the Capital Medical University when the surgery you underwent was deemed a failure. After graduating, I came to Dr. Lawrence's research institute."

Evelyn listened, feeling lost. Someone who was just five years older than herself was now fifty.

What did that make her? Had she traveled through time? Reborn or blessed with eternal youth?

"What exactly happened back then? Why was I frozen for twenty-five years?"

Dr. Charles smiled slightly, recounting the past to Evelyn. It turned out that during the critical surgery attempted by Dr. Lawrence, three-quarters of the way through, a complication arose that doomed the procedure to fail. Dr. Lawrence, thinking quickly, adopted a contingency plan, using the world's most advanced RAZI technology to freeze Evelyn, placing all her cells in a state of suspended animation.

In other words, she had been preserved in youth; time had completely stopped for her.

Once Dr. Lawrence overcame the challenges encountered during the surgery, he would be able to operate on Evelyn again.

Over the years, the world had indeed changed a lot. The once young Dr. Lawrence had now become a distinguished figure in the medical field. Evelyn's condition had been cured, which led to her being thawed.

Dr. Charles squinted his eyes and looked at Evelyn: "Now, your body is healthy again. Next, we need to conduct some physical examinations and start your rehabilitation."

Evelyn, still somewhat dazed, asked, "What about Dr. Lawrence? Why isn't he here?"

Dr. Charles chuckled, glancing at the white sheet draped over Evelyn: "Dr. Lawrence is attending an international conference. He won’t be back for some time."

Evelyn simply nodded in understanding.

After a series of checks and several days of recuperation, Evelyn's health was found to be impeccable. The MRAZI freezing technology, matured two decades ago, had never been used to freeze a living being for twenty-five years without any ill effects. This was a milestone for RAZI technology.

Her body felt no discomfort, and with Dr. Lawrence seemingly not returning anytime soon, Evelyn looked out the window. Outside was a large lawn with a few unknown flowers. As the breeze wafted through, she could smell the faint scent mixed with the fresh grass aroma.

The sky was an endless blue, with clouds drifting aimlessly, just like the summer twenty-five years ago.

Since turning eighteen, she had lived in this research facility. The outside world to her was only this lawn and this expanse of sky.

She missed the big lawn next to the film academy’s sports field, the young students running on it, and the children playing in the courtyard of her residential area.

"I'd like to leave now, may I?"

"Of course." Dr. Charles paused before saying, "But would you like to wait for Professor Lawrence? He’s at a very important seminar abroad and won’t be back for half a month."

Dr. Lawrence...

Dr. Charles' words made Evelyn think of Dr. Lawrence again, the 28-year-old, genteel, and young talent of the medical world, the founder of this research institute. Perhaps due to the subconscious dependency of a patient on her doctor, she was quite fond of Dr. Lawrence.

Especially after experiencing Lucas's betrayal and deception, she had placed her hopes on Dr. Lawrence in her desperation.

Now, the once charming Professor Lawrence was fifty-three years old?

It was still half a month before his return...

Evelyn sighed softly: "...I'll see him another time. I want to go home."

...

Not long after, Evelyn completed the discharge procedures and followed the kind Dr. Charles to the airport with a small suitcase.

The suitcase contained simple clothes and daily necessities, an ID card, and some cash from her wallet, which Dr. Charles had prepared for her.

After seeing her off at the airport, Dr. Charles seemed to have something to say but held back.

Evelyn, puzzled, asked, "Dr. Charles, is there something else you need to tell me?"

Dr. Charles hesitated, then said, "Do you remember those five eggs you donated?"

Evelyn was taken aback, recalling the past. During her treatment, she was found to have a rare recessive gene, OR9AA2, known as the genius gene. This rare gene, if lost, would be a significant loss for humanity. Thus, after discussion, she agreed to extract five eggs from her body, which were extracted using a technological method that wouldn't harm her.

Evelyn suddenly had a strange premonition as she looked at Dr. Charles, her voice taking on an unusual tone, "And then?"

Dr. Charles looked solemnly at Evelyn and announced, "Those five eggs have all been hatched into life."

Evelyn froze on the spot.

This was truly an indescribable feeling, as if someone had told her, "Your five eggs have hatched."

Dr. Charles continued with a serious gaze, "Those five eggs have all turned into life, into five..."

He seemed to search for the right words, "Five sons. The eldest is now twenty-four years old."

Evelyn: "..."

Dr. Charles looked at her earnestly, "Miss Evelyn, I think you would want to meet them, don't you? Don't you want to look for them?"

Evelyn hesitated, then shook her head, "No, I don't want to."

Although she was now forty-five, she still subconsciously felt like that eighteen-year-old girl who walked into the research institute with hope, despite her terminal illness. She couldn't accept having someone hatch a twenty-four-year-old son for her!

The shock was too great!

Dr. Charles seemed about to speak, but Evelyn had already turned and hurried away with her suitcase, almost fleeing.

Dr. Charles, left standing there, watched Evelyn's retreating figure, and after a long while, he smiled slightly.

Bowing his head, he opened his phone to reveal Evelyn's location on the screen.

...

After walking a good distance, Evelyn still couldn't calm down. Unmarried and without any intimate experiences, she now had sons, five at once, the eldest of whom was twenty-four?

It was unbelievable.

Taking a deep breath, Evelyn tried to calm herself down. She decided not to think about it for now. After all, they were just five eggs, strangers she had never seen before. They had nothing to do with her.

Yes, they had nothing to do with her.

Convincing herself with this thought, Evelyn finally took an interest in the airport.

The changes over the past twenty-five years were immense. She looked around the majestic and unfamiliar airport, preparing to board the plane amid the crowd.

The staff member glanced at her ID: "Is this your ID?"

"Yes," Evelyn confirmed.

With the documentation provided by the hospital, Dr. Charles had taught her to upgrade her old ID using fingerprint and facial recognition and to apply for a new one. Dr. Charles had also mentioned that the ID was very convenient now, as it could be used to board planes directly.

The staff member frowned, inspecting Evelyn: "You're forty-five years old?"

Hesitant, Evelyn nodded, "Yes, I'm forty-five."

After a verification check with the photo on the ID, the staff let Evelyn pass.

Those in line behind Evelyn had overheard their conversation, and they all scrutinized her.

The slightly baby-faced young woman was cute and lively, with milk-white, smooth skin, and clear, limpid eyes. A young woman with such a radiant aura, forty-five years old?

Even though modern cosmetic surgery was advanced, surgically altered faces couldn't match natural youth's vibrancy, nor could they exude such an overwhelming youthful energy, let alone the naive vibe emanating from her, like a fresh college girl.

Facing the incredulous stares around her, Evelyn, head down, hurried to board the plane.

Although she was delighted by the admiration for her youthful appearance, she was worried the airport might not allow her to board. Even though Dr. Charles bought her plane ticket, she guessed it must not have been cheap, and she couldn’t afford to waste it.

After a smooth takeoff, Evelyn finally relaxed.

Looking around, everyone seemed engrossed in a rectangular device with a digital screen, like the game consoles she used to play with. Evelyn was puzzled, wondering if this was a newly invented gaming device that looked more fun than what she used to play with.

After landing and exiting the airport, she followed Dr. Charles' instructions and queued for a taxi.

The taxi drove through the city, and Evelyn looked out the window.

Despite knowing it was twenty-five years later and expecting technological marvels, the cityscape still shocked her.

The taxi fare came to 120 dollars, which surprised Evelyn, making her question the driver. She hadn't expected such exorbitant taxi prices after twenty-five years.

The argumentative driver insisted on the fare, so Evelyn, wanting peace, reluctantly paid.

The driver scrutinized the money and gave Evelyn a strange look before walking away.

Standing outside the still-standing apartment complex, Evelyn breathed a sigh of relief.

This apartment, left to her by her grandmother, was her sole haven after her mother's death and her father's remarriage. It was her home.

She had often wondered on her way here if the complex would still exist, if there would still be a lock that her key could open.

Now, with the complex still standing, her home was there.

She took a satisfied breath, lugging her suitcase up three flights of stairs to her apartment door.

But when she saw the unfamiliar security door, she sensed something was amiss.

As she took out her keys, just as she was about to try them, the door swung open.

Inside, a woman looked out warily, her face etched with disdain: "Who are you? Why are you touching our door?"

Evelyn peered at the woman, "Are you Margaret?"

But she quickly realized something was wrong. Margaret was her stepmother's sister, only three months younger than herself, and should now be forty-five. The woman before her appeared to be in her early twenties. Could this be Margaret's daughter?

The woman was puzzled, "How do you know my mother's name? Who are you?"

As she spoke, a few people approached from behind her, an older man, a young man, and a forty-something, slightly plump woman who asked impatiently, "Hannah, who is it?"

Hannah replied, "Mom, this person just mentioned your name, is she looking for you—"

The middle-aged woman had already peered out and, upon seeing Evelyn, was dumbfounded.

"You, you, you—"