Chapter 125
Sophia was called back on short notice this time, rushing back overnight without having the chance to sort out the various bits and bobs like her job and house over there.
So, no matter how things pan out in the future, she had gotta swing by there at least once more.
Since getting back, she had been running around like a headless chicken between work and the hospital, with no spare second to deal with anything else. That was why, before heading back to Wye City, Sophia cleared a day in her schedule just for this.
The next day, she went to change her registered information.
Her registered residence was still at her old pad.
When she bought that little place, she transferred her registered residence from her family home to there.
Two years ago, when she sold the place, she and the new owner had an agreement that her registered residence would stay put for a while, and the owner was cool with it.
So, for the past two years, Sophia’s registered residence hadn’t budged from that little house.
For registered residence matters, you can only sort it at the police station that covered that address.
The little house wasn’t far from Brandon’s company, and the police station was even closer, right next to the Starlight Group’s building.
That’s why these past few days, Sophia was all kinds of hesitant and torn-about it.
The taxi pulled up to the police station, and Sophia got out, still a bit unsure.
As she closed the car door, she couldn’t help but sneak a peek at the Starlight Group skyscraper.
It was prime working hours, and although there were a few people coming and going at the entrance, no familiar faces were in sight.
But then, Sophia didn’t really have many buddies at the Starlight Group.
Aside from Brandon, there was only Kent, Hannah, and the current Don, plus Brandon’s parents, Daniel and Patricia, who occasionally dropped by the office.
For such a massive conglomerate, bumping into someone you know was pretty slim odds.
Sophia steadied her nerves and walked into the police station.
The place was buzzing, with a desk on the left for taking numbers and inquiries.
A uniformed staffer was bustling about, handing out tickets and forms. Seeing Sophia walk in, they asked politely, “Hi there, what can I do for you?”
“I need to register my residence.”
“Sure thing,” the staffer said, handing Sophia a few forms to fill out and then pulling a number for her.
The queue was a bit of a drag, and it was nearly noon by the time Sophia’s turn came up.
She was there to register her residence.
When she handed over her documents, the staffer took a pause at the empty father’s information section on the birth certificate, then looked up at Sophia. “No father’s info for the child?”
Sophia nodded hesitantly. “It was a sperm bank overseas; there’s no father’s info. A single parent’s registered residence is fine.”
Right after she spoke, a girl handling her business next to her turned her head in surprise.
The girl looked young, probably a fresh college grad, sporting a cute exotic-style bob cut and had a lively and pretty look about her.
Not shy at all, she beamed at Sophia when their eyes met and said, “You’ve got guts!”
Admiration was written all over her face.
Sophia just gave an awkward smile and didn’t bite.
The girl went on, “I told myself if I don’t find someone I like by 28, I’ll head to a sperm bank and do the IVF thing too. But I bet my parents would have a fit.”
Then, out of curiosity, she asked Sophia, “How did you get your parents on board with this? You’re still so young, did they agree?
Sophia got even more awkward. “They don’t really have a say.”
Noticing the staffer was still looking at her, she quickly pulled out the “Declaration of Non-marital Childbearing” from the bottom
of her stack and handed it over.
After checking the documents, the staffer processed her registered residence registration swiftly and handed back the registered
residence booklet to Sophia.
“Thank you.” Sophia took it with a word of thanks and turned to leave when the girl who had also finished her business quickly grabbed her papers and scurried after her, “Hey, wait up, beauty!”
Sophia looked back, puzzled.
The girl was a bit embarrassed. “I just wanted to ask about the sperm bank. Like, how did you find it? Which country? How much does it cost? Are there any precautions? Do you have a guide?”
Sophia was awkward.
The girl already had her phone out. “Can I add you on WhatsApp?”
To avoid any misunderstanding, she quickly added, “I want to do it too in the future, but I don’t know anyone who’s used a sperm bank, and I can’t find reliable info online. Could I ask you about it later?”
Sophia, a bit awkward, gently turned down the girl. “Sorry, it’s not really convenient.”
The girl’s face instantly turned gloomy. “Oh, I see.”
Sophia felt a twinge of guilt but knew it wasn’t something she could help with.
She apologized and took her leave.
The girl watched Sophia’s retreating figure with disappointment and then listlessly entered the Starlight Group building.
It was lunchtime, and Kent happened to be heading out with Brandon for a meal. As soon as the elevator doors opened, Kent spotted the dejected girl and jokingly greeted her, “What’s with the long face, coming down to deal with your registered residence?”
The girl, Cindy, was a new assistant designer recently hired by Star-Dempsey Architects.
Kent had been overseeing matters related to Star Dempsey Architects lately, handling the initial interviews himself, with Don taking over for final ones. So, he knew the new hires pretty well.
The new company was officially starting next Friday, and Cindy was part of the first batch of recruits. The whole process from the interview to the job offer had only taken a week, and there was still three weeks to go before starting.
Don thought the three-week gap was a bit much. The new hires might lack a sense of security, and he felt the same. He was worried they might doubt the company’s reliability and bail if something else came up.
So, all the new hires were told to start onboarding right away, to get familiar with the environment and the work.
Kent was temporarily in charge of recruiting and managing these new folks.
Known for being straightforward and approachable, good with a joke, and considerate of the newbies, he was the go-to guy for anything and everything.
Cindy knew Kent. She had consulted with him about her registered residence issue.
Fresh out of her master’s degree, her residency had always been tied to her school, but with graduation, it needed transferring. Luckily, the Starlight Group offered a collective registered residence option, and after a set period of social security contributions, she could settle in West district..
So she made a special effort to squeeze in some time today to get her household registration stuff sorted. She didn’t expect to bump into someone who actually managed to have a kid through a sperm bank and get the little one registered, too. Too bad she. didn’t get the chance to dig deeper.
When Kent teased her, Cindy just pouted in frustration, “It’s nothing.”
But she couldn’t help sharing with Kent, “When I was getting my registration done, I saw this girl, looked about my age, but boy was she gorgeous. She actually went abroad to a sperm bank and had a kid through IVF, and she was there to register her baby.”
Brandon glanced at her but didn’t make much of it, and headed down to the staff cafeteria.
Kent didn’t find it all that surprising either, “What’s so strange about that? Kids born out of wedlock can be registered, no big deal.” “It just seems so bold, you know?” Cindy eagerly followed, “She’s so pretty, looks like she’s only in her twenties, and she’s so sure she doesn’t need a man. Decides she wants a kid and just goes for it with a sperm bank. How cool is that? I want that kind of life
