[Yi]: “Uncle Bai, aren’t you off work yet?”
Gao Hongyi held her latest iPhone 17 Pro Max.
After sending the message, her slender fingertips couldn’t help but tap on the profile picture of [Baiye Duxing].
The avatar was an 8-bit pixel-style figure standing by a bus stop sign.
To the left of the sign, it said “Heaven,” and to the right, it said “Hell.”
The background was a night sky filled with neon lights, giving off a very lonely vibe.
She didn’t even know how many times she had scrolled through his profile page.
Gender: Male.
Age: 24.
Birthday: January 9.
It was the same birthday as hers.
She couldn’t stop herself from thinking that if they got married in the future, they could celebrate together, blow out the candles together, and claim that day as ‘our festival.’
Further down was the country and region: Casablanca, Morocco.
Uncle Bai had said his favorite movie was Casablanca.
Because of that, Gao Hongyi had specifically traveled to Casablanca during her vacation.
She tapped on the chat history again.
She had to read every conversation with Uncle Bai several times.
She was afraid of saying the wrong thing and displeasing him, and she worried about the conversation turning cold, making him think she was boring, hollow, or worthless.
She wanted to know more about Uncle Bai but was afraid her intentions were too obvious.
Thus, Gao Hongyi had learned how to browse someone’s QQ Space without leaving a trace.
Uncle Bai’s QQ Space was locked with a password.
But that didn’t stop Gao Hongyi.
She had specifically downloaded QQ v8.9.288.
This old version could exploit a vulnerability to bypass passwords, laying the person’s secrets bare.
However, Uncle Bai’s space was like a blank sheet of paper — excessively clean, making her elaborate efforts seem laughable.
‘Does Uncle Bai think about me sometimes, too?’
Actually, Gao Hongyi wasn’t the type of extrovert who liked to constantly announce her presence.
She didn’t like to post a bunch of photos from her trips abroad in the reader group either.
She knew that an overly dazzling display would invite jealousy.
Some would think she was showing off or being a total attention seeker; others would say her photos were heavily edited and make malicious assumptions about everything regarding her.
But many people did call her a “goddess.”
She occasionally wondered if Uncle Bai saw those comments, would he perceive her as “being in high demand”?
If that were the case, would he care a little more or show a bit more interest?
‘Uncle Bai… if only you existed in reality, how wonderful would that be.’
In real life, she received enough love letters every month to pile up into a small mountain.
Valentine’s Day and her birthday were even more exaggerated, practically exhausting the butler and servants.
They had to go downstairs trip after trip to carry away all the bouquets, cakes, and gifts sent by couriers, eventually throwing them all into the trash station outside the community.
She was the darling of the masses and the most popular piano princess in school.
Many people were obsessed with the internet.
The internet gave them a stage where people danced together like they were wearing butterfly masks.
Someone who was useless in reality could become an emperor behind a screen.
Gao Hongyi was the exact opposite.
She often thought that if Uncle Bai weren’t hidden inside that 6.9-inch screen but was standing in reality, she could definitely handle him in minutes.
She would make him understand that younger girls could be quite resourceful too.
Except…
‘Sigh.’
The advantage of her family background might very well vanish into thin air soon.
Furthermore, Gao Hongyi still lacked the courage to actually go and find Baiye Duxing.
“Miss, it is time for piano practice.”
A soft knock came from outside the bedroom.
It was the butler standing at the door.
“I know.”
Gao Hongyi changed into a dark red Armani haute couture evening gown.
Like a noble girl perfectly tamed by etiquette, she walked along the soft, glowing arc of the corridor toward the living room.
A Bösendorfer Upright 130 stood quietly by the floor-to-ceiling window.
It was a gift her father had brought back from Vienna for her 7th birthday, valued at 900,000 RMB.
But in this apartment, it wasn’t considered extravagant; it was just one of countless “ordinary items.”
It wasn’t even her best piano, just one of the ones she found most comfortable to play.
When it came to pianos, she wasn’t as devoted as she was to Uncle Bai.
She sat down and looked out the window.
The night view of the Huangpu River in East Sea City looked like a slowly flowing neon river, with lights rising and falling like the tide.
Actually, she didn’t like Tomson Riviera very much.
It was too bright here — so bright it felt like a display case, as if she were also an object on exhibit.
She lived here only because it was close enough to the private school where tuition was 300,000 RMB a year.
The place she truly liked living was the villa at the Sheshan Estate.
It wasn’t because the villa was more spacious, or because it had woodlands, lakes, and a golf course; those scenes were just backgrounds to her.
She simply liked the silence.
Absolute silence.
Then, she would use her fingertips to turn that silence into music, bit by bit.
That sense of control was one of the few things she could truly enjoy.
Her slender, well-defined fingers moved gently over the black and white keys.
Just as Uncle Bai used novels to vent his emotions, Gao Hongyi had her own outlet.
She organized her messy thoughts into melodies, temporarily forgetting her troubles and the fact that pinned her to reality through the repetition of notes.
She wasn’t her parents’ biological daughter.
The high notes were like tight nylon threads, while the bass notes were as heavy as an undercurrent.
What she liked most was the midrange.
Not piercing, not flashy — rounded, balanced, gentle, yet profound.
What kind of tone would that man have — the one who lived in Xinghai City, worked during the day, and wrote at night?
If it were him… he would probably sound like the midrange.
Just as warm, and just as slightly lonely.
It was already 8:00 PM.
Her parents still hadn’t come home, which had long since become routine.
Recently, their company had completed its listing on the NASDAQ.
To avoid being pushed around by investors, they had to keep a tight grip on control.
Not only was work exhausting, but they also had to search for their biological child.
Last Wednesday, they flew to Chuandu City to investigate whether a boy there was their biological son.
Four days ago, they went to New York for a meeting and stopped by Toronto on the way.
But neither of the two boys born at the same maternity hospital were their biological children.
News had also arrived from Wancheng City and Qiongkou City one after another.
Their child wasn’t there either.
So, there was only one destination left.
Linchuan County, Dongling Province.
Before this, her parents had never even heard that a place called “Linchuan County” existed in the world.
When they went to other cities to search, they could also discuss partnerships or look at projects, killing two birds with one stone.
But a place like Linchuan County held no commercial value in their eyes.
Expansion only happened in first-tier cities or potential second-tier cities; only those regions were worthy of being written into PPTs and financial reports, or worth the board of directors’ discussion.
In fact, when they learned their biological child might be in Linchuan County, they had already designated it as the final stop.
After finishing her piano practice, Gao Hongyi picked up her phone.
Uncle Bai had replied.
It was from 30 minutes ago.
[Baiye Duxing]: “Just got home. What’s up?”
Gao Hongyi took a deep breath.
[Yi]: “Uncle Bai, guess where my parents’ biological child is?”
[Baiye Duxing]: “Could it be Toronto?”
[Yi]: “Wrong answer. The answer is Linchuan County, Dongling Province.”