My Celestial Ascension Chapter 1048: A Long Awaited Reunion

Sister Mary stared at Yuan’s face for several seconds, but the longer she looked at him, the more confused she became.

For some reason, his face seemed incredibly familiar, yet she simply couldn’t recognize him.

"You look so familiar for some reason... Have we met before?" Sister Mary asked, studying him with a puzzled expression.

Yuan chuckled softly and stepped forward. Before Sister Mary could react, he gently pulled her into a warm embrace.

Sister Mary was momentarily speechless as she found herself in the arms of the young man. She stared at him in disbelief.

"Huh? What are you doing, young man? Let me go..."

However, she neither pushed him away nor grew angry. Strangely enough, the embrace felt comforting and familiar, as though she had experienced it countless times before.

’Why does it feel as though I’ve hugged this young man thousands of times before? Do I know him?’ she wondered, staring into the distance with a dazed expression.

"Sister Mary, how could you not recognize me? Have you forgotten the beautiful melodies I used to play on my flute?" Yuan whispered, holding her gently in his arms.

Sister Mary’s eyes widened as the familiar voice reached her ears. In an instant, she finally recognized the young man embracing her.

"Y-Yuan? Is that really you?!"

She immediately wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly, her eyes filling with tears of joy.

Yuan chuckled before gently releasing her and nodding with a smile.

"In the flesh!" he exclaimed, beaming with excitement at finally reuniting with her after so many years. "It’s me, Yuan—the kid who used to play the flute every day."

Sister Mary covered her mouth with one hand, still struggling to believe what she was seeing.

"It’s only been five years, and yet you’ve grown into such a fine young man that I couldn’t even recognize you..." she murmured in astonishment.

"Well, I’m not the same Yuan I used to be. I’ve changed and become a completely different person from the boy I once was," Yuan replied with a confident smile.

"I can certainly see how much you’ve changed since I last saw you... But who are these lovely ladies accompanying you?" she asked, glancing curiously at Anna Grace and the others.

"Let’s go inside first. I’ll introduce everyone to you there," Yuan said, gently guiding her toward the building.

Anna Grace and the others followed quietly, giving Yuan the space to enjoy his reunion with Sister Mary, whom he hadn’t seen in years.

Although they knew little about his past in this world, they could clearly see the deep affection and respect he held for the woman.

Since the orphanage lacked a room large enough to accommodate everyone comfortably, Sister Mary led them to the dining room, where they could sit together and talk.

Once everyone had settled into their seats, Sister Mary turned toward Yuan and asked, "So, where have you been all these years? We lost contact with you after you left the orphanage."

Yuan took a deep breath. He had expected her to ask about his whereabouts, but he hadn’t anticipated it being her very first question.

"After leaving the orphanage, I continued my education and eventually entered high school. I took on part-time jobs to support myself and pay for my studies. I was so busy trying to make ends meet that I barely had time to contact you," Yuan explained, letting out a heavy sigh.

Sister Mary listened quietly, growing emotional as she learned about the hardships Yuan had endured after leaving the orphanage.

"I had no idea you went through so much after leaving this place... It’s heartbreaking and so unfair," she murmured, wiping away her tears with a napkin.

"I went through some difficult times, but things are different now," Yuan replied with a gentle smile.

He then continued, "Enough about me, Sister Mary. What about you? The orphanage doesn’t seem to be doing very well. What happened?"

"I’m doing fine... As for the orphanage, well, we’re struggling with a lack of funds," Sister Mary admitted after taking a deep breath.

She decided to be honest with Yuan rather than conceal the situation. After all, he had already seen the deteriorating condition of the orphanage with his own eyes.

"Short on funds? What happened? Everything was fine when I left... Is someone causing trouble for you?" Yuan asked, his expression turning serious.

Sister Mary looked at him and let out a soft sigh. She felt conflicted, unsure whether she should tell him the whole truth.

Knowing Yuan’s personality, she was well aware that he wouldn’t sit idly by once he learned what had been happening to the orphanage.

As much as she wanted to keep the truth from him, another part of her desperately wanted to tell him everything—the hardships they had endured over the past few years and how the situation threatened the future of every child living in the orphanage.

After taking a deep breath to steady herself, she finally spoke.

"Two years ago, a wealthy man approached us with an offer to acquire this property and build a luxury hotel here. We refused because we were concerned about the children’s future."

"Shortly afterward, people stopped donating to the orphanage. The donations dwindled with each passing month, and we’ve been threatened by hired thugs several times. They wanted us to vacate the property."

"We’re barely managing to survive now. And because we don’t have enough money, we can’t even afford to renovate the building..." Sister Mary broke down in tears as she revealed the orphanage’s plight to Yuan.

Yuan’s eyes widened in disbelief. He couldn’t believe someone would deliberately make life so difficult for an orphanage.

However, he had encountered all kinds of people in his life, including those willing to sacrifice even their own children for personal gain. Compared to such cruelty, this situation was hardly beyond his imagination.

Some people were so consumed by greed that they would do almost anything to make more money, even if it meant destroying the lives of countless innocent children.

"Sister Mary, who exactly is behind all this?" Yuan asked, raising his eyebrows slightly.

Anna Grace and the others exchanged curious glances. They, too, wondered what kind of heartless person would target an orphanage.

Sister Mary rose from her chair and said, "Let’s talk about that later. I’ll prepare some tea for everyone first. After all, you’ve finally returned after so many years. It wouldn’t be right to burden you with the orphanage’s problems the moment you arrive."

With that, she headed toward the kitchen.

Soon, Yuan and the others could hear the sounds of her preparing tea.

"I never imagined someone could be so greedy as to set their sights on this property... Some people really have no conscience," Yuan muttered, his expression growing cold.

"Well, putting aside the orphanage’s troubles for a moment... You seem awfully happy to see this Sister Mary of yours," Anna Grace teased with a chuckle, trying to ease his anger.

Yuan let out a deep sigh and nodded.

"Of course. She’s the woman who raised me from infancy. In my previous life, she was like the mother I never had."

"What do you mean by ’your previous life’?"

Suddenly, Sister Mary’s voice rang out as she entered the dining hall, carrying a large tray. A puzzled expression crossed her face as she looked at Yuan.

The moment they heard her question, Yuan and the others grew nervous.

"Oh, it’s nothing... We were just talking about the past," Yuan replied awkwardly.

"I see..." Sister Mary said, though she still seemed slightly confused.

She then turned her attention toward Anna Grace and the other women.

"By the way, you haven’t introduced these lovely ladies to me yet. Who are they?" she asked curiously.

"Well, get ready for a surprise, Sister Mary!" Yuan said with a wide grin.

He pointed toward Anna Grace and introduced her first. "This is my mom, Anna Grace."

Then he pointed toward Lily. "And this is my big sister, Lily."

Sister Mary’s eyes widened in disbelief as Yuan continued introducing the women accompanying him. With each introduction, her astonishment only grew.

"..."

She blinked several times before pinching her own cheek to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.

"Y-You mean to tell me that this gorgeous young lady is your mother, and that beautiful woman is your big sister?" she asked, pointing at Anna Grace and Lily with an incredulous expression.

Then she turned toward Angela and Aisha.

"And those two are your grandmother and aunt?! This is unbelievable!"

’How can such a young woman possibly be his mother? She looks far too young!’ Sister Mary thought, staring at Anna Grace in utter disbelief.

"That’s right," Yuan replied with a cheerful nod.

"T-This is incredible... I’m so happy that you’ve found your family," Sister Mary said, her eyes growing misty with emotion.

However, as she glanced at Emma and the other women accompanying Yuan, her expression suddenly changed.

"And to think that you’ve become such a playboy after leaving the orphanage... You really have turned into a bad boy, Yuan," she remarked with a soft sigh.

Then she turned toward Anna Grace, her expression growing stern.

"And you, Miss Anna Grace! How could you abandon your own child like that? You left him outside this orphanage and disappeared! What could possibly have driven you to do something so cruel?" she demanded, her voice filled with anger.

Anna Grace chuckled softly.

"I think there’s been a misunderstanding, Sister Mary."

"Has there?" Sister Mary asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Indeed," Anna Grace replied with a smile. "You see, I’m not the mother of the Yuan you knew and raised. I’m the mother of this Yuan—the son I’ve raised since he was born."