I Have Decided to Go Look for My Father

Xu Fei switched between lamenting and sighing on his face and Lin Xi was totally baffled, having no idea what was going through Xu Fei’s mind.

But, what’s with that sudden sympathy coming from him?

“Don’t worry. Your dad will return soon.” Xu Fei comforted her.

Lin Xi nodded, still baffled.

***

After Xu Fei had taken off, Lin Xi walked inside the room and checked out this temporary apartment.

The room wasn’t very big, about the size of a normal hotel room but without the complicated décor. The entire room looked simple and warm.

The bedsheets, the blankets, and other daily items had obviously been switched out to new ones before her arrival.

Lin Xi put down her luggage and placed it on the floor. She then pulled out her remaining snacks and clothes from it, organized them, and placed them neatly into the drawers.

Then it was the books and textbooks that were on the bottom.

Lin Xi separated out the textbooks and other books and placed them on both sides of the desk.

Lin Xi spaced out a little when she looked at the stack on the left-hand side.

A few of the books on electronic technology was written by Gu Shao.

Lin Xi smiled when she thought about her real father whom she met today.

-- He looked a little mean and not too excited when he saw her but Lin Xi felt that Gu Shao was not a bad person. At the very minimum, he didn’t seem as cunning and wicked as he was portrayed in the extras of the novel.

Most likely he would not hit her or sell her off.

She failed to show him her best side today…

Recalling the scene when they met today, Lin Xi felt embarrassed and couldn't help but buried her head into the pillow.

She contemplated how to clarify herself when she met up with Gu Shao next time.

***

More time had passed and Lin Xi stood up, tidied up the bed that she had messed up, and walked over to the desk.

There was an all-in-one computer sitting there. Lin Xi turned it on. It did not require a password She could use it and get online with it.

Lin Xi dared not log into her own social media account. She didn’t want her mother or grandmother to notice that something was off.

Zhang Cui had taken away her cellphone when they were at Village Zhang. Prior to that, she had already deleted all the important history, including her app-based car reservation, but her SIM card was still in the phone.

Lin Xi used a temporary account to log into a few websites and looked up recent competitions, including some for regular subjects and some innovative competitions.

There were many competitions of these types in different scales. Lin Xi had competed in many of them in the past and was no stranger to them.

Lin Xi marked down a few major ones or ones that offer high award amounts. She then visited some training facilities’ and training institutions’ websites and looked up their contact email addresses and application information.

There would be award money when one won in these competitions. There would be an additional award amount if one entered the competition representing a training facility.

Lin Xi knew about this because she had received invitations from some training facilities in the past.

She created curricular vitae for herself with her grades and award history and sent them over to a few training facilities’ mailboxes. She confirmed that everything was completed properly before she turned the computer off.

All there was left to do was to wait.

Lin Xi had thought it through: Regardless of whether Gu Shao would raise her, she did not want to return to the Lin family.

In the novel, “she” went offline right before she turned 18 years old and Lin Yize aimed for Gu Shao at around the same time.

She could save up some money and support herself.

If Gu Shao was willing to raise her, she would work even harder on making money. Should Gu Shao not be able to avoid the fate of going bankrupt by the hands of Lin Yize, perhaps she could make enough to support the both of them.

***

Gu Shao, way over in City N, had no idea that he had just made Lin Xi’s list of “those I need to raise in the future”.

Gu Shao had just finished up a night conference.

He received a call from Xu Fei as he walked out of the venue.

“Boss.”

“The responsible parties from Project STTR and Beacon visited the center today. As you were out of town, I had them leave behind the documents and have already forwarded them to your email. I have also forwarded to you the invitations for a few conferences…” Xu Fei reported to Gu Shao on work.

Gu Shao acknowledged him after Xu Fei was done talking. “Okay. I will take a look in a little bit.”

“In addition,” Xu Fei carried on. “On the development of Ruiteng-11, the project team reported that the development of the chip was completed ahead of schedule and they are ready to present it. Would you like to move up the achievement exhibition that was set for end of the month?”

“No. Let’s keep the original schedule,” said Gu Shao.

“Okay,” said Xu Fei.

Xu Fei, “Then there is…”

Gu Shao, “What else?”

“Boss, your, um, I mean Xiao Xi, the girl from this afternoon, I have arranged for her to stay at our temporary housing.”

Not hearing anything back from Gu Shao, Xu Fei pondered over it for a little bit and finally, he couldn't help but, risking being “taken care of” by his boss, said, “Boss, Xiao Xi actually looks quite like you.”

He believed in what he saw!

“And, over dinner tonight, she even asked about what time you will be back and even we should have some food set aside for you as well.” Without realizing it, Xu Fei had already taken up the role of trying to ease the relationship between this father and daughter duo.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t been too successful.

Listening to Xu Fei’s words, Gu Shao frowned a little and acknowledged that he had heard him nonchalantly. Obviously not giving the whole thing much thoughts.

Xu Fei, “… …” And then? That was it? Was he not touched at all? What about the ties between blood and flesh?

Gu Shao merely told him nonchalantly to “keep an eye out on that child” and that was that.

-- Gu Shao was never one to pay too much attention on unimportant events. The appearance of the child was more of a surprise than anything else for Gu Shao.

Except that…

She looked like him?

Gu Shao recalled the dirty face and that pair of dirty hands that he saw in the afternoon and looked resentful all over again.

__________

Translator’s rambling:

Check out my newest pet project The Greatest Astrologist.

Here’s my one-line blurb on the novel:

The greatest astrologist of her time had transmigrated into a novel with a switch-at-birth trope as the real daughter. Worry not, this is not “another” one of those transmigration novel. Our MC cares more about astrology than faceslapping cannon fodders or becoming the heir of the family fortune!

You can also read my review on it here (may contain spoilers?) .