The difference in appearance was so striking that Zhi-yi had always assumed she wasn’t blood-related to her siblings. She had wanted to ask her parents if she was adopted for a long time but it took her sixteenth birthday to actually bring up the nerve.

“I’m adopted, aren’t I?” she blurted out after the first bite of the cake.

Her parents exchanged glances. They had seen this coming.

“We love you just as much as Han and Jun-Hui,” her dad said.

“I never suggested anything else,” Zhi-yi replied. “But I have none of your DNA?”

Her mom shook her head.

“We should have told you earlier. You have a right to know.”

“Did you know my real parents?”

“That’s  not a straightforward question to answer.”

“Did you ever meet them face-to-face? Do you know where they live?”

“No.”

“What if I wanted to meet them? Could I call an agency?…