Chapter 28: Concern

As for Milk Candy’s tyrannical behavior at home, Su Shiyi still found a solution. It wasn’t her idea, but it was suggested by Father Gu Lang.

This all started with a phone call from Gu Lang—at the time, she was lying in bed, as usual, in a lazy fish pose, watching a movie, when the ringtone suddenly blared.

Su Shiyi didn’t rush to answer it. She patiently swallowed the watermelon in her mouth, then slowly wiped her mouth, gently patted Milk Candy on the head, and only then did she lazily and gracefully pick up the phone to see who was calling.

Oh, the caller ID showed Gu Lang…

Wait a minute, it’s her Father Gu Lang, ahhhh, why hasn’t she picked up yet? It’s been half a minute, help!

Su Shiyi quickly called Sunday to turn on the lights, and like a fish flipping, she got up from the bed, hurriedly tidied her messy hair. Oh no, she dyed it green just yesterday!

Wait, hold on, this is a phone call, and Father Gu Lang can’t see her, she’s scared to death.

Her mood dropped dramatically, and Su Shiyi leaned back on the bed, took a few deep breaths to calm her racing heart, and then shakily pressed the answer button.

Oh no, how long has this call been ringing? It must be less than a minute, right? She actually made Father Gu Lang wait for a minute—at his rate of earning money, how much could he have lost? This is such a crime! TAT

“Why did it take so long to pick up the phone?”

Sure enough, Father Gu Lang was displeased with her delay. His first sentence sounded unhappy.

Su Shiyi shivered in fear, her voice guilty, “Dad, I just… had a little something going on. It wasn’t intentional, I swear. I didn’t expect it to be your call…”

Goodness, if she had known Gu Lang would call, no matter what she was doing, she would have immediately stopped and picked up the phone.

Gu Lang snorted, “How can you even say that? As a younger generation, you haven’t even called to check on me these past few days. Su Shiyi, don’t you think you’ve been a bit too much?”

Su Shiyi: ???

She’s more wronged than ^[1]Dou E (窦娥) refers to the protagonist of the famous Chinese drama The Injustice to Dou E (《窦娥冤》) by Guan Hanqing, a playwright from the Yuan Dynasty. The story is about a virtuous woman, … Continue readingDou E, she wasn’t avoiding calling out of neglect! She was just afraid of disturbing Gu Lang’s dad’s work and rest! She clearly asked Gu Pan, and Gu Chen never engages in idle chatter, always talking about work. Why is her dear son picking on her instead of his father? Boo hoo hoo.

“I thought I’d disturb you,” Su Shiyi explained with a pitiful tone, “I was trying to be a good daughter according to Gu Chen’s standards.”

Gu Lang didn’t accept this explanation. “I don’t care, you must call me every day, let me enjoy the happiness of having a thoughtful little cotton-padded jacket.”

Hmph, he only found out after asking Li Shuman that Su Shiyi had been calling her every day but hadn’t called him even once. How infuriating!

Su Shiyi: …

She trembled and said, “But Dad, do you really have time to answer the phone every day?”

“Well, not really.” Gu Lang answered matter-of-factly, “If it’s my secretary answering, just send me an 800-word message expressing your concern. That’ll count as your token of affection.”

Su Shiyi:?

Su Shiyi:???

Every day, 800 words, to show your affection?

Oh my… your suggestion, Mr. Gold Master (aka dad), is actually quite brilliant! (Thumbs up)

Calm down, it’s dad. I can’t curse at him, even if I’m cursing myself QAQ.

The humble daughter, with tears in her eyes, responded, “Okay, dad.”

“Why do you sound so unwilling?”

Well, obviously, who would be happy about this? Writing 800 words every day? Does he think I’m a Lujiang author who will try every possible trick to fluff up my writing?

But Su Shiyi still responded loudly, “How could I, dad? You’re the best father in the world! My admiration for you is as endless as the river. As a child, isn’t it natural to care for you? I even think 800 words are too few! Even if I condense and refine my language over and over, I still can’t express my gratitude!”

Across the ocean, where Su Shiyi couldn’t see, Gu Lang laughed.

“Since that’s the case, let’s upgrade it to 3,000 words. No, maybe that’s not enough, let’s not set a limit at all. Let’s see how many words your filial heart is really worth.”

Su Shiyi: …

Damn, pure self-sabotage. Gu Lang’s dad said this, isn’t this just forcing her to write tens of thousands of words every day?

She bit the bullet and tried to backtrack: “Of course, it’s infinite! But I won’t mind typing non-stop. But I can’t waste your precious time reading my ramblings, right? I think 800 words should be enough. We should focus on the thought, and that’s what matters.”

Gu Lang seemed to snort lightly: “I think your filial heart is only worth 800 words.”

This was something she couldn’t let slide, as it impacted her image as the good daughter in his eyes. Su Shiyi scrambled, ransacking her vocabulary for praise, spitting out all sorts of extravagant words, speaking until her mouth was dry, before finally soothing Gu Lang’s dad, who relented and said, “Okay, 800 words. I won’t read more than that.”

Su Shiyi sighed in relief. Phew, thank goodness. She then reiterated her desire to be able to talk to her dad every day, so she wouldn’t have to type… I mean, so she could directly express her concern for him and strengthen their father-daughter bond.

If it weren’t for the necessity, who would want to type? Typing on a keyboard is exhausting.

Gu Lang didn’t say much more, this phone call was mostly Su Shiyi talking. She first (according to Kevin) reported on the operation of HMW. The organization’s structure and goals were mostly clear now. They would continue to focus on helping victims of domestic violence, gradually expanding from cities to rural areas, and moving from internet-based support to real-world research in remote, underdeveloped regions.

Any kind-hearted and just person would naturally align with the general public’s values when it comes to opposing violence, regardless of gender. As a man, Gu Lang also praised Su Shiyi for putting the money to good use, setting a good example, and bringing honor to their family.

Of course, he also supported the continued development of HMW with practical actions—namely, transferring funds. When he heard that Su Shiyi planned to invest her own money into it, he generously said he would match her donation with double the amount.

Boo hoo, dad, you’re truly big-hearted!

Next up was gossip about Meng Yiyao and Gu Chen. Regarding Meng Yiyao’s defection, Gu Lang didn’t have much to say. In fact, he wasn’t concerned with the emotional issues of the younger generation, simply commenting that it seemed like a girl’s brain had finally started working again.

Su Shiyi: … Are you really Gu Chen’s dad?

Skipping over that topic, they finally got to the “bully behavior” of Milk Candy at home. Su Shiyi was troubled, wondering if she had spoiled the little ragdoll cat too much. This couldn’t continue.

Gu Lang: “This small problem is easy to solve. Tomorrow, you take her for a trip to Ohio, I’m there.”

“Ah, dad, are you going to personally discipline Milk Candy? She’s just a little kitten QAQ.”

“Where did you get that idea from? I’m not that free.”

Gu Lang casually said, “We’ve set up an animal protection zone at our estate in Ohio, where two tiger cubs were just born. You take Milk Candy over, let the cubs teach her how to be a proper cat.”

Su Shiyi: …

Only you could come up with this, dad!