Gu Yebai lay on the large bed in the Ibis chain hotel.
In his hand, he held a brand-new iPhone 17 Pro Max.
The room was quiet.
The only sound was the subtle, steady hum of the central air conditioning.
The screen stayed on his webnovel’s backend update page.
In the end, he still couldn’t bring himself to update tonight.
The QQ group was constantly pushing for updates, but Gu Yebai looked at their messages and chose to play dead.
Too many things had happened today.
After he had finished packing his simple luggage, a family of three had picked him up.
Then, he had sat in their Volvo.
Gao Hongyi had clung to his arm the entire time.
Her small head rested heavily on his shoulder, as if she had already claimed ownership of that position.
After returning to the hotel, the couple had brought out a heap of fresh gadgets for him.
They were all carefully selected gifts.
First was his new phone, an iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Next was a Switch gaming console.
An MG MGEX Strike Freedom Gundam model.
Three Burberry trench coats.
Two Prada jackets.
Three Armani knit undershirts.
Two pairs of Common Projects low-top sneakers.
A silver-gray RIMOWA suitcase.
And finally, a Citibank credit card that he could swipe as much as he wanted.
Gu Yebai had never even heard of some of these brands.
He couldn’t help but search for them online.
Pages popped up one by one.
The numbers were quietly arranged on the screen.
By a conservative estimate, the total value of these gifts was around 200,000 RMB.
Gu Yebai didn’t want to accept them so readily.
Looking at the wide variety of items on the bed, a wave of unease rose in his heart instead.
Moreover, the ceiling of this Ibis hotel was a bit too high.
It was so high that it made him feel a lack of security while lying on the bed.
Just one day ago, he still had to rack his brains every day over his novel.
If he missed an update for even a single day, he would lose his attendance bonus.
This meant his next month’s earnings would be 500 yuan less.
To the Gu Yebai of that time, 500 yuan was truly an immense sum of money.
He rarely ate out.
Shaxian Delicacies was considered an upgrade to his meals.
Mixue Ice Cream and Tea was considered a reward for himself.
His cracked-screen Redmi Note 9, which he had bought on Xianyu, also adhered to the philosophy of “as long as it works.”
That was the old Gu Yebai.
Now, however…
They had only met for the first time.
They had known each other for less than 24 hours.
Yet someone had already invested such a massive amount of money in him.
In the beginning, Gu Yebai had refused.
He had been uneasy.
If a reader tipped 100 yuan, he would accept it with gratitude and secretly decide to improve the plot.
If a reader tipped 1,000 yuan, he would grind out massive updates to show them just how much a 16-year-old’s liver could endure.
Tossing and turning, he simply could not fall asleep.
Gu Yebai changed back into his original down jacket, pulled out his room card, and walked out of the hotel room.
He walked aimlessly, just wandering.
Gu Yebai always did this whenever he had something on his mind.
…
“Can’t sleep?”
Just then, he heard Gao Hongzhi’s voice.
The man was standing by the window at the end of the hallway, smoking.
The window was cracked open, and the night breeze poured in, quickly dispersing the smoke.
Gao Hongzhi wore a pair of glasses and looked very refined.
However, his actions of lighting the cigarette, inhaling, and exhaling were very practiced.
He was clearly an experienced smoker.
“Do you smoke?”
“I don’t.”
Gu Yebai shook his head.
“You don’t? That’s good.”
Gao Hongzhi smiled.
He casually put out the cigarette and dropped it into the nearby ashtray.
He didn’t approach immediately.
Instead, he lingered by the window for a while longer, letting the wind blow away the scent on his clothes.
Then, he took off his jacket and draped it over his arm.
He fished a peppermint from his pocket and popped it into his mouth.
He rubbed his fingertips against the seam of his pants a few times until the smell of smoke was completely gone.
Gu Yebai looked at Gao Hongzhi.
Despite the hesitation in his heart, he spoke up anyway.
“Mr. Gao, you haven’t even confirmed if I’m your actual biological son yet, but you’ve already bought me so many gifts. Is this really okay?”
“We haven’t done the DNA test yet.”
“Except for the iPhone, which was activated at your request, I haven’t touched any of the other gifts.”
“I might not have your blood flowing through my veins, Mr. Gao.”
“In the end, you might still be disappointed.”
“That’s not important, child.”
Gao Hongzhi reached out and placed his palm steadily on Gu Yebai’s shoulder.
The pressure wasn’t heavy, but it couldn’t be ignored.
“Even without the DNA test, even if you truly share no blood relation with me, it doesn’t matter anymore.”
“Because before this, I already learned what kind of person you are.”
“I know how much you’ve sacrificed for your parents.”
“I also know that to put them at ease and make them happy, you’ve always studied desperately hard, eventually ranking second in the whole county.”
“These things, in themselves, already say a lot.”
“You have a very kind heart, and kindness is what this society lacks most.”
“Your writing has also long since proven your character. That is the reason why an entrepreneur like me could have the patience to read through it.”
Gao Hongzhi’s tone remained steady.
“If it were an ordinary child, they would only feel excitement upon receiving so many gifts, thinking they had struck it rich.”
“But you didn’t.”
“You are hesitant, uneasy, and repeatedly checking if you are worthy.”
He paused, his gaze becoming even more certain.
“This isn’t because you’re a coward.”
“It’s because you understand better than anyone that love has weight, don’t you?”
“Sometimes I also wonder, is blood relation really that important?”
“Hongyi is my daughter. I would die for her without even blinking.”
“But she doesn’t have my blood flowing in her, either.”
Gao Hongzhi paused.
“Mrs. Ya is the same.”
“The reason we can be together has never been because of blood, but because of the choices we made for each other.”
“And now, it’s the same for you.”
He looked at Gu Yebai.
“That lost look in your eyes just now made me realize one thing very clearly.”
“You are a child who deserves to be taken seriously.”
“Providing for you isn’t an impulsive act.”
“It is my willing choice. On this point, I am very calm.”
Gao Hongzhi took a light breath, his tone carrying a hint of sharpness for the first time.
“To be honest, before coming to Linchuan, I thought of another possibility.”
“If my biological son had already been completely corrupted by the societal vat, turning into a greedy, unprincipled person — even if he really had my blood in him, I would have chosen to turn a blind eye.”
“But you are different, Gu.”
“Your life needs a tree that can shield you from the wind and rain.”
“But I — “
Gu Yebai was still apprehensive.
“Enough.”
Gao Hongzhi raised his hand, cutting him off.
“Didn’t you write a sentence in your novel?”
” ‘Only kind people suffer from internal conflict.’ “
“Only kind people repeatedly question their own conscience.”
“You feel that you haven’t done anything for us, yet you’ve received so many gifts and are being treated this way. Your heart can’t find a balance, right?”
Gu Yebai was silent for a moment before nodding.
“Yes, Mr. Gao.”
“And even now, I still miss my parents.”
Gao Hongzhi smiled.
It was a kind of gentle certainty.
“That is exactly why I am willing to accept you.”
“Giving you these gifts isn’t meant to force you to accept us quickly.”
“To me, the money spent on gifts is really not worth mentioning. But if it can bring your inner world one step closer to us, then I’ll be satisfied.”
“About the smoking… don’t tell Mrs. Ya or Hongyi.”
“Mr. Gao, you were smoking in front of me on purpose, weren’t you?”
Gao Hongzhi was stunned for a moment, then he chuckled.
“You really are a smart child.”
“Remember, Gu, you will always be worthy of a better life.”