It took nearly an entire month to complete a thorough check of the mainframe to ensure it hadn’t been interfered with or attacked by the AI programming language.
He heard his phone ring and took a glance to see it was a text from Gu Nianzhi. He then received a scanned file from her.
With just one look, Huo Shaoheng was immediately able to deduce that the poems must have contained clues about Gu Xiangwen!
Huo Shaoheng worked in the field of intelligence and had undergone enough professional training to see instantly that there was something different about those two poems.
Additionally, the Special Operations Forces employed a decryption specialist who was an expert in this field. He was even able to thoroughly analyze a misshapen and half blurred word.
Huo Shaoheng immediately called Gu Nianzhi.
“Nianzhi?”
“Huo Shao… Did you get my text?” Gu Nianzhi squeezed her phone while lying in bed. She was in the middle of browsing Weibo.
“Yeah, I’ll have someone investigate it. You have nothing to worry about.” Huo Shaoheng paused, then said, “…Did Reinitz scare you?”
“Scare me? He did…” Gu Nianzhi giggled quietly. “I was so scared when he suddenly became so poetic and cultured.”
Huo Shaoheng, “…”
“Remember to avoid dealing with him alone from now on. If you have to see him again, there must be someone else there with you.” Huo Shaoheng recapped the Senate’s rules with Gu Nianzhi, saying, “Once you become an official employee of the Senate, these are mistakes you can’t afford to make even once.”
“I know that.” Gu Nianzhi nodded obediently and said, “Reinitz will be returning to Germany, so I’m pretty sure we won’t see each other again.”
“Yeah, good girl.” It was a rare occasion when Gu Nianzhi did not talk back to Huo Shaoheng, so he somehow felt very relieved.
This girl was becoming bolder by the day…
Huo Shaoheng still wanted to ‘lay down the law’ with Gu Nianzhi. If this had been the past, he wouldn’t have hesitated to scold her.
But now, he somehow couldn’t bring himself to scold her…
Spoiled children were not born that way, but they were raised by parents who doted on them too much.
Huo Shaoheng set down his phone with a wry smile before trying to get ahold of the decryption specialist to set up a meeting for tomorrow.
…
Gu Nianzhi was feeling sleepy before, but her energy returned after the phone call with Huo Shaoheng.
Sitting up from the bed, she read the note again and picked up the phone to give He Zhichu a call.
He Zhichu hadn’t slept either. He was on the computer working on business from South America.
The family business was huge, and although it wasn’t necessary for He Zhichu to personally take care of each transaction, there was still a lot of work he needed to do.
His intense concentration on his work was interrupted by the ringing phone.
He Zhichu heard it was Gu Nianzhi’s ringtone, so he immediately grabbed the phone to take the call. “Nianzhi, why haven’t you slept already?”
“Isn’t Professor He awake too?” Gu Nianzhi smiled as she laid against the large pillow, saying, “I wanted to show you something, can I send it to you?”
“Sure, send it over.” As soon as He Zhichu spoke those words, he saw his phone had received a text message.
He opened the attachment to see it was a scanned note.
The paper was a bit wrinkly like it had been crumpled up and flattened out again.
English handwritten in blue ink covered the note.
The paper looked rather old, or perhaps it was purposely worn out to make it appear as though it was a relic from a time past.
When He Zhichu looked at the English handwriting again, he could see it was two common English poems.
The first was called, “A Little Girl Needs Daddy.”
He Zhichu, “…”
With a frown, he began to ask Gu Nianzhi, “What is it? Isn’t this a very common poem? –You’re missing your dad?”
Every Father’s Day, little girls from Western countries would write this poem on a card and give it to their fathers.
Gu Nianzhi nodded quickly and said, “I also thought it was a very common poem. Can this even have anything to do with my father? That means all the men in the world are my fathers…”
He Zhichu couldn’t help but snicker as he said, “You sure have an optimistic outlook.”
“I have no choice but to be optimistic.” Gu Nianzhi cocked her head, and with a smile, she said, “I’ve looked for him all these years now. Even though Huo Shao and Professor He are so capable, we haven’t found any clues at all. I lost hope a long time ago.”
There could be no disappointment if she didn’t hold out any hope.
He Zhichu rubbed his temple, hesitant to speak.
“…Wasn’t your father on flight MH210?”
That flight had crashed.
Gu Nianzhi could tell she was getting somewhere with He Zhichu, so she instantly said, “Gu Yanran said the plane crashed onto a small island, and then she cast my father’s ashes into the ocean. Do you think I can even believe her?”
“…How would I know? I’m not very close with her.” He Zhichu chose his words very carefully, but his expression appeared a bit uneasy. “Where did you get this note from?” he asked.
Thankfully, Gu Nianzhi wasn’t with him, so she couldn’t read his facial expression.
“Someone gave it to me, of course. He also said this was what I needed the most. But I don’t even know what I need the most.” Gu Nianzhi was very confused. “I really wanted to find my father before, but now… I will keep looking for him, but I no longer see him as my entire support system. I am my own support system, so finding my father will only be the icing on the cake.”
He Zhichu pressed his lips into a tight line. He felt bittersweet, yet horrible–like a fire burned inside him and was about to explode at any time. However, he still made himself console her, saying, “I am also your support system, and so is Huo Shao. Nianzhi, don’t push yourself so hard, you’ve already done a very good job.”
“I haven’t done a good enough job yet…” Gu Nianzhi mumbled. She was finally feeling a bit sleepy and let out a yawn as she said, “Professor He, I need to sleep now. You should go to bed early too.”
He Zhichu answered her before reluctantly ending the call.
After their call, he sat alone in his office for a very long time before finally sighing deeply and continuing to work.
…
Gu Nianzhi let Huo Shaoheng handle deciphering the two poems and gave her complete attention to work.
They were currently preparing for Speaker Long’s national visit to India, and because they only had ten days’ time, it was all very rushed.
This was the first time Gu Nianzhi was helping with preparations for a Senate national trip, so she was completely swamped.
In the past, she assumed national visits only consisted of waving back to the welcoming citizens while descending a plane’s ladder and then going to dinners and meetings while making polite small talk.
But when she actually participated in the preparation work, she discovered that there were endless mundane tasks.
Everyone only saw the fancy-looking politician appearing from the plane, but that one image was the result of endless employees working for extended nights.
There were many things to plan and prepare for.
Simply put, they had to confirm each other’s itineraries, which included flights, flight plans, car routes, security detail at hotels, sanitation, as well as arranging personnel, food and drink, manners, gifts, and the main topics of meetings. They even had to collect and take away the excrement of the visiting politician, as they could not leave anything in the country they visited.
It was no easy task to plan and communicate all these things in a mere ten days’ time.
This was especially the case since the Indians had varying productivity levels and, like the missiles they liked to manufacture, they moved in Brownian motion. Everything was all over the place and a mess, and everyone acted the same way.
Gu Nianzhi worked three days and three nights at the Senate before going home and immediately collapsing on her bed.
When she woke up, the delicious aroma of food from the kitchen emanated into her partially open bedroom door.
Gu Nianzhi was actually awakened by the delicious smell.
She removed the blankets and got up to creep into the kitchen for a look.
Huo Shaoheng wore a finely pressed summer outfit as he fried steaks on the induction stove.
…
