[Yi]: Uncle Bai, can I ask you a question?
Your real name wouldn’t happen to be Gu Yebai, would it? (Not sent)
[Yi]: Uncle Bai, do you know anything about Linchuan County? (Not sent)
[Yi]: Listen to me, Uncle Bai… I just heard the name of the child who was swapped at the hospital from my parents.
His name is Gu Yebai. (Not sent)
[Yi]: Uncle Bai, what’s your last name? (Not sent)
[Yi]: I want to “vanilla” you, heehee. (Withdrawn)
[Yi]: Uncle Bai, when is today’s update?
It was sent.
Gao Hongyi lay on the large hotel bed, tossing and turning.
Her breathing grew shallow at times, then heavy again.
Her heart lost its original rhythm, beating much faster than usual, as if it would break through her ribs and leap out of her chest at any moment.
Actually, from the moment they left Donghai until now, Gao Hongyi hadn’t been very concerned about her parents’ search for their relative.
When they finally met, she would, of course, play the role of a polite and friendly family member, but that would be the extent of it — she would keep her distance and maintain proper boundaries.
However, the name her father had casually mentioned just now had completely disrupted her peace.
Gu Yebai.
It was a name that made it far too easy to draw connections.
Gu Yebai and Baiye Duxing.
“Gu” and “Duxing” both carried similar meanings of loneliness or walking alone.
“Yebai” and “Baiye” were simply the same characters in reverse.
This kind of coincidence didn’t feel like a coincidence at all.
Associations flooded in like a tide.
Moreover, Gao Hongyi remembered Baiye Duxing’s birthday perfectly — January 9.
That was what his QQ profile said.
And she herself was born on January 9.
Therefore, it was almost certain.
The correct answer was right there, on the tip of her tongue…
As for the character [Baiye Duxing] had meticulously crafted online — the corporate slave working in Xinghai City, the heartless boss forcing him to work overtime every day, and the image of an older man exhausted by his mortgage — it completely collapsed in this moment.
It was the internet, after all.
It was normal.
Everyone used the internet to disguise themselves; it couldn’t be more common.
She just hadn’t expected that the person she cared about most would be like this as well…
‘Uncle Bai!’
‘Could it really be you?’
Although all sorts of coincidences confirmed that the boy from Linchuan named Gu Yebai was the young master of the Gao family who had been swapped with her at the hospital years ago.
She should have been named Gu, and she should have been a country girl who would never see hope in Linchuan County.
Yet, she still felt afraid.
Sometimes, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.
What if she had guessed wrong?
What if there really were that many coincidences in the world?
What if Uncle Bai hadn’t lied and really was a corporate slave in Xinghai City, and his birthday really was January 9?
And what if there really was a boy in Linchuan County named Gu Yebai, also born on January 9?
It was said that there were even three people in the world who looked exactly alike.
So, what did it matter if two people existed with the same birthday and related names?
‘My mind is such a mess.’
She had never been this restless and uneasy.
Whether it was the day she passed her grade nine piano exam, her fingertips steadying the rhythm on the black and white keys; or when she took the IELTS and calmly finished every question despite the rapid-fire speed of the listening section; or even when she was confessed to at school and the hallway was packed with cheering crowds, she had always maintained an aristocratic poise and calm…
But now…
She wanted to put on her makeup properly and dress herself up like a princess.
She wanted to meet Uncle Bai in her most beautiful, flawless state.
But she was also afraid.
She feared that after arriving in Linchuan, she would meet a stranger — not the Uncle Bai with a heart full of delicate stories and a gentle soul, but a boy roughened and silenced by the grind of daily life, or perhaps someone even worse.
Perhaps that boy would be like the villains Uncle Bai described in his novels.
Committing evil not for profit or revenge, but for simple amusement, to pass the bored hours, just like a child treading on ants by the roadside…
In short, it couldn’t be fully confirmed yet. So…
‘Before we formally recognize each other, I need to observe him closely.’
Gao Hongzhi and Ya Xinyao had said something similar while shopping for gifts for that boy from Linchuan.
Gao Hongzhi’s thoughts almost perfectly aligned with Gao Hongyi’s.
Yes.
Recognizing a child of unknown background was an extremely risky move.
“But that’s our flesh and blood, Hongzhi…”
Ya Xinyao bit her lower lip, seemingly dissatisfied with Gao Hongzhi’s decision.
“Xinyao,” Gao Hongzhi explained patiently, “you’ve seen similar news.
It’s not uncommon for children to plot against or even harm their parents for an inheritance.
In ancient times, it goes without saying — princes killed their fathers for the throne and siblings murdered each other for succession.
Such tragedies happen in every era.”
“I know…” Ya Xinyao’s voice began to soften.
“But he’s only a 16-year-old child. What can a 16-year-old child do? A child can be educated to become a good person…”
“By the age of 16, the basic framework of a person’s values has already formed. We don’t know what kind of education he received or what kind of life he’s lived.”
Gao Hongzhi paused, his words suddenly becoming sharp.
“And you’ve heard that many places in our country still practice the custom of favoring boys over girls. I have reason to suspect the Gu family swapped their daughter for our son back then. How many principles or universal values do you think a family that favors boys over girls would have?”
The couple had walked around the mall until their legs were sore, so they decided to sit down at a Starbucks.
As the steam from the coffee rose, the conversation turned somewhat cold.
“Well…” Ya Xinyao seemed to be wavering.
Gao Hongzhi made his tone even steadier: “What I’m thinking is that we should meet him and see for ourselves first. We are indeed busy with work, but no matter how busy we are, I don’t want to bring a wolf into our home. Besides, we still have Hongyi.”
Ya Xinyao was silent for a few seconds: “In other words, if he isn’t a good child, you don’t plan to recognize him, right?”
“I’ll give him a sum of money,” Gao Hongzhi did not shy away from the question.
“After all, the bloodline is there. But I won’t approach him as his biological father. That’s too dangerous. I’m the man of this family; I have an obligation to protect you and Hongyi from being harmed by anyone.”
“Fine, Hongzhi. I respect you, and I believe that what you do is always right.”
Though Ya Xinyao said this, her maternal instinct made her unable to stop looking at the newly purchased Switch console and the box of Gundam models.
Her gaze was like that of an abandoned puppy, pitiful and longing.
Ya Xinyao had once imagined that child, who lacked love, holding the gifts and wearing a smile of pure happiness.
Unlike the more rational Gao Hongzhi, Ya Xinyao had never thought her son could be a bad child.
When she learned she had actually given birth to a son back then, Ya Xinyao was truly happy.
What could be happier than having both a son and a daughter?
Perhaps in the future, her son could even marry Hongyi, who wasn’t blood-related to him.
It would be a double blessing.
However, such thoughts developed slight cracks in the face of cold reality.
“But I still believe Little Gu will be a good child. If you don’t believe me, let’s make a bet.”