Chapter 47: Father’s Love

There was no way around it, when Dad called, she had to answer. Su Shiyi was too afraid to turn on the video, so she quickly switched the screen to voice mode, hoping to escape this noisy world.

However, the surrounding music was so loud, the background beats of the energetic songs still made their way to the other end of the phone, and Gu Lang frowned upon hearing it.

“So you’re not in the country,” Gu Lang immediately realized. “It’s morning in the capital right now, and no one would be partying at this hour. Are you in Europe or North America?”

Su Shiyi immediately wilted. “I’m in London.”

Ugh, the plan to play Ludo at Lin Xi’s place had ended up being a bust when she couldn’t get up after a whole night out. She could’ve said it was just movie sound effects, but…

With Gu Lang’s authoritative tone, Su Shiyi felt incredibly guilty.

She thought Gu Lang would ask her what she was doing, but instead, he laughed on the other end of the phone.

“You’re all grown up, yet you still act like a child, always needing attention. Did you know I was in London and came here to find your dad?”

Su Shiyi: ???

She didn’t know! If she had known her dad was here, she wouldn’t have boarded that plane for anything!

Although Europe was more open-minded, and there was even a granddaughter bringing her grandmother to watch a show, for Su Shiyi, a native-born Chinese, having her parents know she was here, well, appreciating the arts, still felt a bit awkward and embarrassing.

But now that things were this far, she could only brace herself and say, “Yes, I came with Panpan. It’s night now, so I didn’t want to disturb you. I’ll surprise you tomorrow.”

Gu Lang sounded pleased. “At least you’re a bit filial. Be careful while playing. Do you have enough security with you? Which club are you at? I’ll have the driver wait outside. When you’re done, just come to the villa in ^[1]Mayfair is a district in central London, known for its upscale and prestigious nature. It’s home to luxury hotels, exclusive shops, high-end restaurants, and some of the most expensive real … Continue readingMayfair, I’m staying here.”

Su Shiyi: !

It was her first time in London, how would she know the address? And as soon as she hesitated, the sharp Gu Lang on the other side immediately picked up on it.

“Where are you?” Gu Lang’s tone instantly became serious. “Are you being controlled? Is it not convenient to talk?”

“No, no.”

If she let him keep guessing, he might start thinking she was kidnapped. So Su Shiyi reluctantly gave him the name of the theater, hoping that Gu Lang’s assistant was searching for today’s performance.

After a brief silence, Gu Lang said, “Actually, you came just for the show. You didn’t know I was in London, did you?”

Ugh, how did things end up like this? She should have told the truth right away!

Su Shiyi had learned the value of honesty and now openly admitted, “Hmm…”

She added, “But now that I know, I’m really happy. I’ll get to see you, Dad. Don’t be mad. I’m going to Mayfair to find you now.”

“No need.” There was some background noise on Gu Lang’s end. “Aren’t you watching the show? Finish watching it first.”

Even though he said that, Su Shiyi still felt a shiver down her spine. She once again offered to go find him right away, but Gu Lang refused.

“I’m not that rigid. Just enjoy the show. It’s rare for you to be out having fun, so relax and enjoy it.”

Okay, it sounded like Dad wasn’t angry.

Su Shiyi felt relieved, thinking she had successfully passed the test. After returning to her seat, she explained the whole situation to Lin Xi and Gu Pan.

“Thank goodness Dad isn’t angry,” Su Shiyi said as she patted her chest. “I even told him I was going back, but he insisted I stay and watch the rest of the show.”

Gu Pan and Lin Xi: …

They exchanged a look and could see the seriousness in each other’s eyes. Although they weren’t very close to Gu Lang, did he really have such a good temper? Thinking his daughter came to London to see him, only to go watch a hunk show instead, and still say it was no big deal, telling her to finish watching the show first?

Hmm, if that were the case, there was only one possibility left.

The two exchanged a glance, then decided to leave together, saying they were going to the restroom. As they left, Gu Pan looked a bit guilty, and Lin Xi quickly pulled her along.

“Is it okay to leave Shiyi alone?”

“Mr. Gu dotes on her, he won’t do anything to her.” Lin Xi made a bitter face. “But for us, it’s not certain. Anyway, let’s just avoid him for now!”

Thinking of Gu Lang’s usually stern face, Gu Pan shuddered and quickly made her exit. “Better to avoid trouble, Shiyi, take care of yourself.”

After the beautiful dancers finished, a new group of handsome guys took the stage. Su Shiyi continued recording on her phone, lamenting how long it was taking for Gu Pan and Lin Xi to come back—such a shame they missed the outfit change show, it was really stunning.

She was completely absorbed in the stage performance when suddenly, someone patted her on the left shoulder.

Her body froze, and she heard the familiar voice she’d just talked to a few minutes ago.

“Watching so seriously?” Gu Lang sat next to her. “Don’t be nervous, I just came to see what kind of explosive show could make you fly all the way here to watch.”

“Usually, you say you want to follow me, but now you really came for the hunk show. You really are my good daughter.”

Su Shiyi: …

She nervously turned to face Gu Lang, whose expression was one of a half-smile, and felt her legs shaking.

“Dad,” Su Shiyi forced out a smile, “You could’ve told me earlier if you were coming.”

Gu Lang: “If I had told you earlier, you would’ve run off like Gu Pan and Lin Xi. Don’t be so surprised, they’ve already gotten into a car to the airport, and I didn’t stop them. It’s fine, I don’t care where they go as long as they have bodyguards with them, but you—”

Just as Su Shiyi braced herself for a scolding, she heard Gu Lang pause and say:

“So you like this kind of show, huh? You should have said so earlier.”

He glanced at the hunks on stage. “Pick one, I’ll arrange for him to stay with you tonight.”

Su Shiyi nearly dropped her phone, hurriedly shaking her head in denial: “I didn’t, I don’t need him! Dad, please don’t make trouble! I was just looking, I definitely didn’t think like that! Really, I didn’t!”

Gu Lang casually said one sentence that made her back nearly sweat through her shirt. She could only pray that no one nearby could hear them or, even worse, understand Chinese…

“I’m just joking, they might not even be willing.” Gu Lang enjoyed teasing his daughter, watching her scared expression with great satisfaction.

He leisurely leaned back on the couch, snapping his fingers to have a waiter bring him a glass of Scottish whisky. Taking a sip, he looked at Su Shiyi. “Was it Lin Xi who brought you here?”

She definitely wouldn’t have thought to come to a place like this on her own, and Gu Pan wasn’t bold enough, but among the three of them, only Lin Xi loved to have fun.

Facing Gu Lang’s questioning, Su Shiyi nodded pitifully: “Hmm, actually, I was forced onto the plane, I didn’t come here willingly to watch!”

“Don’t give me that,” Gu Lang said with a meaningful look. “As for the show, you’re neither proactive, nor refusing, nor taking responsibility. You’ve really mastered the bad boy’s style, huh?”

Su Shiyi: …

What else could she do? She could only sit there like a well-behaved elementary school student. Although Gu Lang said it was fine and told her to relax and enjoy the show, the earlier incident had clearly made her more cautious.

Now, she wasn’t taking photos or cheering, her serious expression made it seem as though she was really appreciating the art.

— If you ignored how intensely her eyes were fixed on the stage, and how her small face was blushing and burning.

Since Su Shiyi didn’t have a guardian growing up, she didn’t feel awkward about watching kissing scenes on TV with her parents, as she’d seen discussed online. After all, her parents were more experienced adults than she was, so how could it be embarrassing to watch a kissing scene together?

Now, she understood— it was the kind of awkwardness that could make one build a Buckingham Palace and Big Ben with just their toes. If she stayed any longer, London itself might emerge right there on the ground.

Other kids might just watch a kissing scene with their parents, and in the worst case, it might be a passionate scene, but that’s something that’s playing on a screen and could be paused at any time. How could you pause a live performance like this?

Especially when the actors jumped off the stage to interact with the VIP audience, their breath hitting her face. She didn’t understand a single word they said, but Gu Lang could!

Not only could he understand, but he seriously asked her, “Do you need a translation?”

Su Shiyi: suffocating.jpg

Heaven, she had once longed for a translation, but definitely not from Gu Lang! After all, she still cared about her pride, TAT.

As the performance went on, the content became more and more exciting and explosive. Su Shiyi could only secretly swallow, sitting more upright than anyone else on the surface, while her inner chipmunk screamed. She could have kept her composure, but how could a handsome guy deliver his tie to her hand like that?

— The handsome guy’s belt could testify: it was absolutely the tie that made the first move, she wasn’t intentionally pulling it.

Although his collarbones looked great and his scent made her feel light as air, by the time the performance ended, she was sitting with Gu Lang in the spacious, comfortable car, and the cool air conditioning still couldn’t cool down her burning face.

Gu Lang: “Not voluntary?”

“Was it being ‘forced onto the plane’?”

Su Shiyi: …

She covered her face and let out a frustrated sound.

“I’m guilty, I really love watching this!”

—

Gu Lang took Su Shiyi back to a villa in Mayfair. He didn’t go into much detail about the place, but from its location next to Bond Street, it was clear that its value must be in the hundreds of millions.

And this, Gu Lang referred to as the “conveniently located, make-do house.” Since it was a terraced house, Gu Lang didn’t feel comfortable, so he bought the ones on both sides as well. A partition made by human hands— wasn’t that the same as having a detached house?

He lived in the middle, occasionally arranging for high-level employees from the Gu family to stay there for business trips or other guests when he wasn’t around.

Su Shiyi’s visit was unexpected, so the housekeeper hadn’t prepared a room for her. Apart from Gu Lang’s master bedroom, all the rooms were standard guest rooms. She followed her father and chose the one closest to him.

She didn’t know that she had made another bold move. Even Gu Chen would typically arrange for a few rooms between them, Gu Lang preferred peace and quiet.

But Gu Lang didn’t say anything and even accompanied Su Shiyi to have a late-night snack. She said she was hungry and wanted to eat Chaozhou clay pot porridge.

At this time, the Chinese restaurants in Chinatown were closed, but the housekeeper still managed to summon a ^[2]Chaozhou chef refers to a chef specializing in Chaozhou cuisine (潮州菜), which is a type of traditional Chinese cuisine originating from the Chaozhou region in the eastern part of Guangdong … Continue readingChaozhou chef with his abilities. The pearl rice, shrimp, crab, ginger, garlic cloves, and even Puning bean paste were all prepared.

These ingredients were hard to find in the UK—at least for ordinary people. But as long as Su Shiyi wanted it, within half an hour, everything was ready. By the time she took a shower and got a full-body massage, the fragrant aroma from the kitchen made her swallow her saliva.

Gu Lang sat on the edge of the sofa, flipping through the latest issue of Nature. This core scientific journal, which would make Su Shiyi faint just by glancing at it, was his go-to pastime when he was bored.

The moment she saw the cover, she was reminded of her untouched graduation thesis…

Well, although comparing her (still unwritten) thesis to Nature was like comparing a moon landing to a scam, which undergraduate doesn’t end up producing a pile of academic junk? She had just made the mistake that every college student makes.

Seeing her daughter’s listless expression, Gu Lang closed the magazine and said, “What’s bothering you? Tell me, let me have a good laugh.”

Su Shiyi: ?

She restrained the urge to curse and poured her frustrations out to Gu Lang. “My graduation thesis… I haven’t figured out what to write about. Kevin told me not to worry, but I don’t want to hire someone to write it for me. That’s cheating.”

“Good,” Gu Lang nodded in approval, “That’s what I like to hear. My daughter has integrity.”

Integrity doesn’t help much though, you need ideas.

Su Shiyi slumped, feeling dejected. “So, dad, do you have any guidance for me? I don’t have the slightest direction.”

“Didn’t Gu Pan introduce a professor to you? Don’t like him?”

Mentioning this made Su Shiyi feel even more frustrated.

“It’s not that I don’t like him… it’s just… I don’t feel a spark. Not just with Professor Jiang, but with the others too. I guess I’m just not cut out for these arranged introductions.”

In front of her father, Su Shiyi had no need to hide anything. “I’m not sure how to interact with them. If I started as friends, maybe it would feel more natural.”

Su Shiyi found the whole situation a bit tricky, but Gu Lang quickly picked up on the key point.

He patted his daughter’s head. “Why are you worried about this? I was thinking, your mom and I are busy, you and Gu Chen don’t really talk, Gu Pan is always with Gu Chen, and you’re left alone at home, so I thought I’d find someone to keep you company and pass the time.”

“Since none of these people make you happy, let them go. I’ll take care of it.”

Su Shiyi was still confused about how Gu Lang was going to solve this. He didn’t continue the topic and instead told her to eat porridge.

Alright, food is the best cure for everything.

The pot of porridge was made with shrimp and crab, and the ingredients were much more abundant than what you’d find at a street-side stall. Su Shiyi scooped a bowl for Gu Lang, and it was filled to the brim with fresh shrimp and crab meat, almost spilling over.

“You eat,” Gu Lang frowned and pushed all the shrimp and crab from his bowl into hers, “I only eat the porridge.”

Su Shiyi felt like she might cry. “Dad, you’re like those dads in elementary school essays, saying they don’t like fish, only the fish tail, leaving the best for their children. I’m so moved.”

Gu Lang: ?

“Foolish child, you’re thinking too much.” He said in a gentle tone, but his words were cruel. “The UK isn’t a place for fresh ingredients, the taste of these things is so bad, it’s only good for porridge.”

Su Shiyi, who was vigorously sucking on crab roe: …

Great, the crab roe in her hand no longer tasted as good. QAQ

“Dad, you’re going to lose me this way,” Su Shiyi continued sadly, sucking on the crab roe. “I thought there’d be deeply touching fatherly love, but I guess I was wrong. How could this happen? You can’t be the world’s best dad like this. Our father-daughter relationship is in serious jeopardy!”

Gu Lang didn’t even look up. “If I gave you the villa next door, would that make up for your broken heart?”

What? A villa in Mayfair?!

Su Shiyi immediately perked up. “Look at you, Dad! What are we talking about a villa for? That’s so distant. I’m your good daughter. Can our bond be measured with material things?”

“Well, you do have a point, so let’s forget about it,” Gu Lang replied.

Su Shiyi: ???

Dad, I was just being polite! How could you take it seriously?!

She couldn’t help but feel a pang of pain for the villa slipping away, and as she lowered her head, she saw Gu Lang putting a peeled shrimp into her bowl.

Gu Big Boss Lang took off his disposable gloves, and immediately, a maid appeared to carefully wipe each of his fingers with a warm, damp towel.

“Eat,” Gu Lang said with a smile in his eyes. “This is proof of fatherly love as strong as a mountain.”

“The two villas next to us will be occasionally needed, so I really can’t give those to you. But I’ve bought the entire street across from us. What do you think about renaming it Billion Street?”

Gu Lang thought Su Shiyi would be so moved she might cry. He had already prepared to receive her colorful praise.

—but this useless daughter just blinked and, with a confused expression, asked, “What does that symbolize?”

Gu Lang: …

He answered expressionlessly, “It symbolizes that I’ll hire you a private English tutor, one-on-one to quickly improve your foreign language skills. By the way, how exactly did you manage to get into college?”

Ungrateful child, what a waste of his emotions!

—

After finishing the clay pot porridge, it was already deep into the night. Su Shiyi had slept a lot on the plane and was currently full of energy—though it might have had something to do with watching an exciting performance tonight, but she wouldn’t admit it.

Gu Lang wasn’t tired either. He was focusing on several major projects, while Su Shiyi explored his study, acting like she was treasure hunting. Every time she found something valuable, she’d exclaim in awe, as if she had never seen such things before.

The butler was on edge, fearing that Mr. Gu might think Su Shiyi was being too loud and kick her out, which would make things awkward. But Gu Lang seemed to be handling it well. His brain categorized the noise as “white noise.”

Of course, if anyone else dared to make such a racket… being politely asked to leave would be the most graceful option.

Su Shiyi excitedly wandered around, and when she got tired, she simply lay down on a sofa that looked a bit old-fashioned.

She lay there, still a bit dissatisfied, “Dad, this sofa is not very comfortable. Can we get a different one?”

Gu Lang glanced at her but didn’t tell her that the sofa was an antique worth millions.

Su Shiyi, now lying there like a salted fish, opened her phone and was shocked by the messages. Xiao Yu and Pei An both said they would continue to strive and become better. Their passionate little essays were full of energy, but Su Shiyi, the person involved, was completely confused.

What was going on? Why was this suddenly turning into a motivational meeting for her?

These two were so indirect, Professor Jiang’s message was much simpler and more direct. He said, even though Gu Lang didn’t approve of the matter, he was still willing to know about Su Shiyi’s thesis progress and urged her to come up with a reasonable direction as soon as possible. She shouldn’t delay any longer, and that academic matters should be faced bravely, attitude adjusted, and so on. It made her head ache just reading it.

Someone like her, a student struggling academically, really didn’t have the courage to face the professor directly. TAT

Su Shiyi: A lot of question marks in her head

She cautiously asked Gu Lang, “Dad, um… have you already started solving the thing I mentioned earlier?”

“Mm.” Gu Lang answered briefly, “I said I don’t approve of them. With their current achievements, they aren’t worthy of pursuing my daughter, they’ll just delay you. If I ever agree, then I’ll give them a chance to interact with you.”

Su Shiyi: …

For some reason, she automatically imagined the classic scene of “I’ll give you five million to leave my daughter.”

Gu Lang continued, “There are thirty-six candidates in the pool, we can still take a look. This time, I won’t allow anyone to use backdoor channels. Everyone will be selected honestly, no cutting in line.”

“…Don’t pick anymore.” Su Shiyi felt exhausted. “Don’t pick anymore, Dad. I don’t want to go on blind dates.”

And wasn’t it you who led the charge for backdoor deals and cutting in line? Why does it sound so righteous when you say it!

Well, fine. If she doesn’t like it, then forget it. It was all just to make her happy in the first place.

At Taihe Courtyard in the capital city, a neatly dressed Luo Yunqian nervously pressed the doorbell, only to be told by the butler that Su Shiyi wasn’t home and had gone out. As for where, the schedule wasn’t available to share.

After the hard preparation and being turned away, he received a call from home. His mom immediately gave him an earful over the phone, telling him to come back quickly and not embarrass himself.

You arrogant little brat, daring to dress like that for a blind date, Mr. Gu wouldn’t even look at you, a jobless drifter—serve you right!

Luo Yunqian: …

The sun was blazing, but his heart felt cold and empty.

While the scorching sun in the capital couldn’t affect the starry sky in London, Su Shiyi, who had finally unburdened herself, let out a long sigh of relief. She finally had the peace of mind to check the messages from Gu Pan, all of which were cutesy and pleading for forgiveness with stickers.

Su Shiyi replied with an angry gif and asked where they were.

Gu Pan quickly replied: 【We’re on the flight back to the country. Shiyi, is Uncle Gu mad?】

Su Shiyi: 【Damn it, shouldn’t you have asked if I’m safe first!】

Gu Pan: 【Oh, come on, we’re all adults. Watching the show is an art form, Uncle Gu can understand.】

Su Shiyi: 【Then why did you guys run off so quickly?!】

Gu Pan: 【……】

Gu Pan: 【Let’s play Monopoly! 【1】 This is my latest investment game. You can connect online with your account, and it supports up to four players playing together online~】

Su Shiyi counted the people: Lin Xi, Gu Pan, and herself. They were still short one player.

Gu Pan: 【Let’s have Gu Chen join in too.】

Su Shiyi: 【…Actually, I’m the one who’s just filling the spot, don’t think I don’t know!】

Gu Pan, feeling guilty, didn’t respond. She just sent Su Shiyi a room link.

Su Shiyi thought for a moment. Since she had nothing better to do, playing a round of Monopoly wouldn’t hurt. She switched to her tablet to log in to the game.

Compared to the physical version of Monopoly, the online game Gu Pan invested in still maintained the classic gameplay of rolling dice to move, keeping traditional elements like Chance and Community Chest, while also adding many innovative features.

For example, the bank can offer interest-free loans to users, with 10% interest on deposits each month, which Gu Chen sarcastically called a charitable act. The game also has a stock market system, which, aside from real estate tolls, provides another major income source in the game.

Su Shiyi glanced over the game rules. There are also hospitals and jails in the game, where players are sent to designated places and can’t roll the dice or collect rent for several turns. After leaving, they can’t return to their original spots and must start from a fixed location.

There are also many types of item cards, which seem flashy with all sorts of names. Their functions seem to fall into categories like upgrading and destroying properties, influencing player moves, limiting dice rolls, and helping players earn cash.

At the beginning of the game, Su Shiyi was full of confidence. After the first month, Gu Chen’s assets were 50% ahead of hers. She comforted herself, saying it was fine, she’d just build up slowly.

By the second month, her default cash was nearly gone. She had to withdraw from the bank, and by the monthly settlement, Gu Chen’s assets were four times hers. Su Shiyi scratched her head.

By the third month, she realized that she didn’t have much property in the system to begin with. How did she suddenly pass by one of Gu Chen’s streets, and after the system deducted all her cash and savings, it forced her to sell her properties?

Su Shiyi was stunned, realizing she was about to go bankrupt and be eliminated. How embarrassing!

She cried as she grabbed her tablet and went to find Gu Lang. “Dad, big brother is bullying me, you need to do something about him!”

No more courtesy—Su Shiyi was going to cheat tonight!