Xie Hongbo?
The word "Xie" triggered Gu Xi's nerves.
Sure enough, the next second, Gu Shao added in a low voice, "He's Gu Yaobai's biological father."
Although she already had a vague hunch, Gu Xi still widened her eyes in surprise when she heard Gu Shao's words.
— Is this the terrifying boss in the novel?
The other party's appearance was a little different from what Gu Xi had imagined. In her mind, she had naturally put on the image of this boss with a ferocious face and fangs, but she did not expect him to be like this. He looked no different from an ordinary old man taking a stroll in the park.
At most, he looked a little tougher and his eyes were clear.
Gu Xi frowned slightly.
At this time, Xie Hongbo, who was in the living room, obviously noticed the father and daughter who had returned home. He stood up from the sofa with the help of his crutches and looked at Gu Shao and Gu Xi.
Gu Xi was shocked when she saw the other party looking at her. She shuddered and subconsciously pulled the corner of Gu Shao's sleeve, wanting to retreat behind Gu Shao.
However, she gritted her teeth. In the next second, Gu Xi stepped out from behind Gu Shao and stood in front of Gu Shao, as if she wanted to protect Gu Shao.
Gu Xi's movements were very small, so the people next to her did not notice anything. However, Gu Xi's small movements and her every move fell into Gu Shao's eyes.
Looking at Gu Xi, who was standing in front of him and only reached his arm's height, Gu Shao was secretly amused. However, there was also a touch of warmth in his heart.
At this time, Xie Hongbo opened his mouth and said to Old Master Gu with a smile, "Haha, this is the granddaughter you found, right?"
"Yes, her name is Gu Xi. She's one year younger than our two children," Old Master Gu also explained with a smile. When he mentioned Gu Xi, his eyes were filled with unconcealable joy and pride.
Xie Hongbo nodded and sized up Gu Xi. He praised her, "Her facial features are very similar to your wife's. This child looks smart."
Hearing someone praise his granddaughter, Old Master Gu was happy no matter who it was. He waved his hand and pretended to be modest. "She's smart, but very naughty."
"Naughty is part of a child's nature. It's good to be naughty." After he said that, Xie Hongbo paused and looked at Old Master Gu and teased, he asked, "The Chinese Parasol tree at your door was planted for her, right?"
"As expected of a teacher. You can even see through this." Old Master Gu laughed.
…
On the other side, the two old men were chatting and laughing, but on the other side, Gu Xi was dumbfounded.
This …
Are you sure it's Xie Hongbo? The Xie Hongbo who had a grudge with the Gu family in the past and who would fight to the death in the future?
Why did it feel like their conversation was very friendly and harmonious?
Could it be that she had knocked on the wrong door today?
Gu Xi muttered in her heart, I feel like I can't find a place to show my strength at all.
"Let's go in." At this moment, Gu Shao pulled Gu Xi into the living room and stood in front of Old Master Gu, Xie Hongbo.
Old Master Gu introduced Xie Hongbo to Gu Xi. "This is an old acquaintance of our family. Xixi, you can call him Great-Grandfather Xie."
Old Master Gu subconsciously emphasized the words "old acquaintance."
Hearing Old Master Gu's words, Xie Hongbo waved his hand with a smile and said, "Don't call me Great-Grandfather. We're teachers and friends. In terms of age, I'm not much older than you. You can call me Grandpa Xie."
"Okay then, call me Grandpa Xie." Old Master Gu said with a smile, but he secretly spat in his heart. This old fellow came to the Gu family and wanted to take advantage of their seniority. Hmph, he didn't even want Gu Xi to call him 'Grandfather'.
Although Gu Xi was a little confused by the "plot" in front of her, she still maintained the smile on her face when she heard Old Master Gu's words. She greeted Xie Hongbo, "Hello, Grandpa Xie."
"Hello, hello." Xie Bohong nodded, then looked at Gu Shao, who was standing beside Gu Xi. "Xiao Shao, I haven't seen you in a while."
"I didn't have the time to visit you," Gu Shao replied as a greeting.
Xie Hongbo continued to speak to Gu Shao in a caring tone, "By the way, the search system that was sent up previously was created by you, right? The higher-ups were very impressed. "
After a pause, Xie Hongbo smiled again and said, "When we were chatting before, we joked that with the new search system, the old search method of the past would be eliminated."
"It's just our job," Gu Shao replied neither arrogantly nor impatiently.
The conversation between the two seemed normal, but in fact, there were traps everywhere.
Gu Xi had been secretly watching Xie Hongbo. Finally, at this time, she saw a trace of sharpness in Xie Hongbo's calm and peaceful eyes.
While speaking, Xie Hongbo seemed to release some of his aura. However, Gu Shao did not lose in terms of aura at all.
The short conversation seemed calm, but Gu Xi had a feeling that a storm was coming.
Amidst the harmony, there was an indescribable contradiction.
As if sensing that his granddaughter, Gu Qinghua, was looking at him, Xie Hongbo looked at Gu Xi and smiled kindly. However, in the corner of his eyes, Gu Xi could not see, there was a flash of light and darkness in the corner of his eyes.
Gu Shao's eyes were slightly cold. He patted Gu Xi's head and said, "Go upstairs and do your homework."
"Oh, I'm done." Gu Xi subconsciously refused. In fact, she really wanted to continue to observe what kind of trouble this "big enemy" of the Gu family would cause.
However, she heard Gu Shao say again, "Then go and memorize your books." There was a hint of sternness in his voice.
"Okay." Knowing that resistance was futile, Gu Xi had no choice but to respond and obediently went upstairs with her schoolbag.
— —
Seeing Gu Xi's figure disappear on the second floor, Xie Hongbo retracted his gaze and sat back on the sofa to continue the conversation with Old Master Gu.
However, at this time, there was another person in the living room, Gu Shao.
Xie Hongbo said to Gu Shao, "She's just a child. As an adult, you shouldn't be too strict on her. There's a balance between work and rest. Why are you treating the child as if she's under the management of the Gu family?"
"Old Master Xie, you must be joking. The Gu family only has a few small businesses. How could there be any subordinates?" Gu Shao replied calmly.
As he spoke, Gu Shao glanced in the direction of the second floor. From Gu Shao's angle, he could see the railing on the second floor. At this time, Gu Xi did not obediently return to her room to study. Instead, she secretly leaned against the railing on the second floor, looking as if she was eavesdropping openly.
When Gu Shao's eyes met hers, Gu Xi shrank her neck guiltily.
Despite Gu Shao's warning glare, Gu Xi still refused to look away. She stuck out her tongue and then smiled at Gu Shao. Her meaning was obvious.
Gu Shao had no choice but to withdraw his gaze.
Seeing that Gu Shao's answer to his question was flawless, Xie Hongbo had no choice but to end the previous topic and turn to Old Master Gu to chat about family matters.
It was an ordinary chat, but there were hidden meanings everywhere.
As if thinking of something, Xie Hongbo suddenly said to Old Master Gu with emotion, "I'm actually envious of you."
Old Master Gu pretended to be puzzled and shook his head, saying, "What's there to be envious of?"
"I'm envious of you having so many children and grandchildren. You used to have children, but now you even have a granddaughter." Xie Hongbo sighed. The look in his eyes made it seem as if he was really envious of Old Master Gu.
Hearing this, Old Master Gu's eyes flashed with a hint of mockery, but his expression did not change as he replied, "Tsk, what's there to be envious of? These kids are useless. They don't know how infuriating it is every day. Speaking of which, I'm the one who's envious of you, Teacher, for being so vigorous despite your old age. "
"Vigorous despite my old age? I don't even know how long this body of mine can last. Furthermore, your four children have all started their own families and careers. They're all doing well. You're being too modest by saying that they're useless. "
After pausing for a moment, Xie Hongbo stroked his beard and said, "Unlike me, who's all alone. I only feel bored in my old age."
When Xie Hongbo said this, Old Master Gu did not show it on his face, but in his heart, he had already cursed Xie Hongbo countless times.
Gu Xi, who was hiding upstairs, was very confused when she heard Xie Hongbo's words.
Previously, the Gu family had already publicly clarified that Gu Yaobai wasn't their biological son. Although the whole thing wasn't as well-known as celebrity gossip, it was still a hot topic in the industry. Unless this Xie Hongbo was using 2G internet, it was impossible for him not to know about it. He even said that Old Master Gu had four sons.
Moreover, that Gu Yaobai was clearly his own son, yet Xie Hongbo still said that he was all alone. How shameless!
While Gu Xi was puzzled, Xie Hongbo and Old Master Gu were reminiscing about the past.
When it was almost time for dinner, Old Master Gu warmly invited Xie Hongbo to eat at home, but the other party declined.
After several attempts to persuade him to stay were to no avail, Old Master Gu had no choice but to bid Xie Hongbo a cordial farewell. He also politely walked Xie Hongbo all the way to the car, almost giving him a warm hug.
It was a beautiful scene of old friends seeing each other off.
Gu Xi squatted upstairs and secretly watched the two of them being affectionate. Thousands of complaints flew through her mind.
"Oscars owe each of you an Oscar," Gu Xi complained softly.
Initially, when she knew that the person who had come was Xie Hongbo, Gu Xi had silently cheered herself up countless times in her heart. Only then did she muster up her courage and prepare to bring out the aura of a magnificent army to attack the city with thousands of men and horses. Together with Old Master Gu and Gu Shao, she was determined to defeat Xie Hongbo.
In the end, the tense situation she had imagined did not happen. The words she had thought of to scold Xie Hongbo and argue with the other party were also useless.
If Gu Xi had not read novels and knew that Xie Hongbo was the boss behind the scenes who had always wanted to harm Old Master Gu and destroy the Gu family, she would probably have thought that the person who had come to the house today was a kind old man who was Old Master Gu's best friend.
Gu Xi was crazily complaining in her heart. She did not notice that Gu Shao had already come upstairs and stood behind her.
"The world of adults is very complicated. Sometimes what you see is not necessarily true," Gu Shao said, taking this opportunity to teach Gu Xi a lesson.
Suddenly hearing Gu Shao's voice, Gu Xi was startled.
"Ah! Dad, when did you come up? "Gu Xi blinked guiltily at Gu Shao and asked, playing dumb.
The father and daughter looked at each other for ten seconds. Gu Xi was defeated.
"Well, I was just worried, so I ambushed here and kept an eye on Xie Hongbo. If he dares to attack Grandpa and you, I can rush down to save you."
Hearing Gu Xi's explanation, Gu Shao's mouth twitched. They were two adults. Did Gu Xi, a little girl with thin arms and legs, need to save them?
Moreover …
"That kind of thing in your mind won't happen either," Gu Shao said. He was referring to meaningless violence.
"Why?"
"Because Xie Hongbo isn't that stupid."
Gu Xi: "…" Did he mean that she was stupid?
"Then there's another question."
"Hmm?"
"Why did Xie Hongbo say that Grandpa has four sons and that he's alone? He clearly knows … he's pretending, right? " Gu Xi asked the question that was on her mind, but she couldn't figure out why Xie Hongbo was playing dumb.
Gu Shao's eyes darkened and he explained, "It's because he has already abandoned Gu Yaobai."
"?!" Gu Xi was shocked. She never expected to hear such an answer.
"Isn't that his biological son?" Gu Xi opened her mouth and whispered.
Firstly, she didn't expect Xie Hongbo to be so heartless to his biological son. Secondly, she didn't expect Xie Hongbo to abandon Gu Yaobai so quickly.
Seeing the confusion on Gu Xi's face, Gu Shao didn't explain further. If she knew the reason, it might have a negative impact on Gu Xi, a fourteen-year-old child.
Xie Hongbo didn't give up on Gu Yaobai just today. Xie Hongbo had already given up on him when Gu Yaobai secretly handed in the "evidence" of Old Master Gu's letters.
Xie Hongbo's purpose in coming to the Gu residence today was to express his stance and put on a show for other people outside the Gu family to see.
If she guessed correctly, Xie Hongbo was most likely already dealing with the real evidence about the Gu family and forging evidence that Gu Yaobai was the child of a defector.
The Gu family said that Gu Yaobai was the child of one of Old Master Gu's good friends, so Xie Hongbo turned this "good friend" into a defector who betrayed the country. The other party fled abroad and had no choice but to entrust the child to Old Master Gu. What was evidence? The letters that Old Master Gu had exchanged with his overseas friends over the years were the best evidence.
Gu Shao's eyes flashed coldly, but he hid it when Gu Xi looked over.
"Come down and eat." Gu Shao came up to call Gu Xi to eat.
"Oh." Gu Xi stood up, but she swayed. Fortunately, she caught Gu Shao.
"My legs are numb …" Gu Xi smiled at Gu Shao, embarrassed.
—
When Gu Xi went downstairs, Old Master Gu had already "kindly" sent Xie Hongbo off.
At the dining table, Old Master Gu called out to Gu Xi, "Xixi."
"Yes, Grandpa?"
"The old man who came to our house today …" Old Master Gu was about to say "old man who didn't die" when he paused and changed his words. "That old man with the surname Xie."
"Our family doesn't have much of a relationship with him, and I'm not a good friend either. What you saw today was just to be polite to him. In fact, he's not a good person. How should I put it? He has bad morals and bad intentions. You have to be careful of people like him in the future, okay?"
Since Xie Hongbo was not around, Old Master Gu hurriedly explained the real situation to Gu Xi, telling the younger generation not to let down their guard against him just because of the illusion.
However, in front of the younger generation, Old Master Gu deliberately paid attention to his words and chose his words in a civilized manner.
Gu Xi nodded seriously. Although the Xie Hongbo she saw today and the way he talked with Old Master Gu was very different from what she had originally imagined, she also understood that reality was more complicated than fiction. Sometimes, the more harmless and smiling a person looked, the scarier they were.
—
At night, Gu Xi couldn't sleep.
It wasn't because Gu Yanxiao and Gu Chenyi had secretly brought her too much milk tea when they came back at night, nor was it because of Xie Hongbo.
Gu Xi couldn't sleep because her mind was filled with thoughts of what Gu Shao had suddenly said in the car this afternoon that he wanted to find her a stepmother.
Although Gu Xi convinced herself to agree, when she thought about it again, she still felt inexplicably suffocated in her heart. At the same time, she also felt a little nervous.
Gu Xi nestled under the blanket, unable to sleep with her eyes wide open. In the end, she simply took out her phone.
Gu Xi originally wanted to go to the forum and post a post to vent her feelings, but she was afraid that if her identity was exposed, it would cause unnecessary trouble for Gu Shao. After all, he was considered half a public figure.
Other people wanted to talk, but it seemed that they couldn't find anyone to talk to.
At this moment, Gu Xi's gaze fell on the penguin app.
Because she used WeChat most of the time, Gu Xi rarely used this penguin account except for the occasional registration for competitions. She also didn't add many friends in the account.
In the entire list, other than a few teachers from the training school and the account that posted the competition information, Gu Xi only had one or two people in her friend list, and they were all offline for a long time.
Gu Xi's gaze immediately fell on the [AAA] account in the list.
This was the alternate account that Sheng Xiuyan had previously used.
Ever since Sheng Xiuyan had dropped this account, it had been abandoned by Sheng Xiuyan and sent to the crematorium forever.
The three of them had also switched to their main account for the competition and were conducting their discussions on WeChat.
Looking at this "dead" alternate account, Gu Xi's gaze moved. She thought of something and clicked on the other party's chat box. The other party's last message was a profile that had been sent to her one or two months ago.
Gu Xi looked at the other party's gray profile picture and muttered to herself in a low voice, "Anyway, I don't need it anymore …" It could be used as a tree hole for her.
Gu Xi tried to send a profile picture over.
There was no reply.
It seemed that the other party was indeed "dead".
Gu Xi felt relieved and began to "attack" the tree hole.
[Ahhhhh, I'm so annoyed!]
[Do you know, I feel like my father wants to find me a stepmother!]
[I actually don't really want a stepmother.]
[Am I wrong to do this?]
[You don't have to say anything. I know I'm wrong.]
[But I just feel depressed.]
[I'm the one who came to look for him and became his trouble.]
[If it weren't for me, my father would definitely have gotten married and lived a happy life.]
[I've thought of all the possible girls …]
Gu Xi listed out all the people she could think of.
[I don't really like Xu Bei. I always feel that with my father's age, it's not good to find someone who can be my sister.]
[Auntie Meng won't do either. I feel like she likes her boss.]
[Who exactly is it …]
[Do you think my future mother won't like me? I'm not unhappy with my father because of me.] Although Gu Xi was complaining, there was a trace of timidity between the lines.
[I'm so conflicted. What should I do?]
…
Mixed with all kinds of complaints and complaints, Gu Xi had already built a 99 + skyscraper with her own strength in just a few minutes. She even sent all kinds of "dazzling" emojis.
—
On the other end, Sheng Xiuyan was holding his phone:???
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