“Boss, Nianzhi is awake. Do you want to talk to her?”
Chen Lie had just finished organizing the data on Gu Nianzhi and was recording it onto his computer. It was compiled in batches and uploaded onto backup copies in his Cloud drive.
“Really? It’s too late now.” Huo Shaoheng sounded indifferent and wasted no words. He thought it best to not mention that he had already spoken to Gu Nianzhi.
Chen Lie figured that Huo Shaoheng had no intention of speaking with Gu Nianzhi, so he had no choice but to take the initiative and report on her condition after waking up.
“Speaking of which, what a coincidence! I had predicted that she would probably wake up today, but wasn’t exactly sure at what time. Afterwards, the Class Rep from Nianzhi’s class happened to come visit her. I let him in first and not long after, I heard Nianzhi excitedly chattering.” He laughed to himself. “They have such an interesting chemistry.”
Huo Shaoheng used a large towel to wipe the water off his hair. His voice was icy. “I don’t have time to listen to your nonsense.”
“How was that nonsense?” Chen Lie rolled up his sleeves, sat on Huo Shaoheng’s swivel chair in his study and began spinning. “Also, I have something more important to tell you!”
“Speak.”
“Nianzhi’s Class Rep confessed to her! He is a refined and tall young man: good looking, fairly well off, and very gentle with Nianzhi. A young girl like Nianzhi should be cherished gently and treated like a precious treasure.” Chen Lie sighed.
Huo Shaoheng’s hand paused from drying his hair. He only grunted in acknowledgement.
“Seriously! Believe me, her Class Rep has good character. He showed Nianzhi his phone right in front of me, and not only was Nianzhi’s photo set as the lock screen, but he also lovingly saved her fingerprint as one of the passwords to unlock his phone. With that, he said that Nianzhi can unlock his phone anytime, because he had absolutely nothing to hide from her.” He chuckled and then said, Boss, I think this person is suitable for Nianzhi as a prospective marriage partner.”
Huo Shaoheng looked at his phone and discovered he had set Nianzhi’s photo as his lock screen some time ago. He swiped at the screen to open the photo album and deleted the photo without betraying any emotion. In an instant, he had removed all traces of Gu Nianzhi from his phone. Chen Lie was still babbling on the phone about something. Huo Shaoheng said dryly, “Nianzhi is not 18 yet, so it’s a bit early to start dating. But as long as she likes him, I won’t interfere.” He stood up, feeling restless again. “I have something to take care of.” He abruptly hung up.
He then calmly called Zhao Liangze and his voice immediately deepened. “Connect to Nianzhi’s university’s Class Representative’s phone right now, and delete all her fingerprints from there. Remember, delete it completely and make sure it cannot be recovered with any software.”
Zhao Liangze had been lying on the bed. He and Yin Shixiong were trying to determine which female hero had “popped” the Major General’s “cherry.” He was so startled by Huo Shaoheng’s call that he nearly fell off the bed.
“What?! Nianzhi’s fingerprint is saved on someone’s phone?! What a foolish thing to do! Fingerprints are so important, how can it be freely given to anybody? The person can use her fingerprint, and Nianzhi will have no privacy from them. They can use Nianzhi’s fingerprint to do anything and then use it to frame her! Sir, I agree. We must delete this fingerprint!” Listening to Zhao Liangze’s indignation and how his words echoed Huo Shaoheng’s sentiments, a ghost of a smile appeared on the latters face and then quickly disappeared.
Zhao Liangze sighed and gestured to Yin Shixiong. “All good.” He hung up immediately.
“What’s the matter? A mission?” Yin Shixiong grew serious.
“It’s nothing major. Nianzhi’s fingerprint had been saved by someone.” Zhao Liangze tapped a command on his phone and transformed it into a mini server with immense capabilities. “Hey, Big Xiong, what is the name of Nianzhi’s class rep? Do you have his number?”
Yin Shixiong looked after Gu Nianzhe’s school affairs. He responded right away. “Mei Xiawen? His phone number is—.”He relayed a phone number to Zhao Liangze and asked with concern, “Are you able to do it? I think that kid’s phone is by Apple. The security is excellent on them.”
“Pfft! Don’t underestimate me! My motto is: Give me a phone number and I can use it to dig up the owner’s entire background!” Zhao Liangze blew on his hands and proceeded to enter Mei Xiawen’s number on his meticulously created software. He pressed the search button and began looking for Mei Xiawen’s phone in the vast network.
In his room, Huo Shaoheng brought his phone with him as he returned to the bed. He had planned on turning in for the night, but ended up smoking a cigarette and was alert again. He scrolled through the address book on his phone and stopped at Gu Nianzhi’s name for a moment before finally dialing her number.
Gu Nianzhi had finished working out and was freshly showered. She was sitting at her vanity and prepping her face for a face mask. Hearing her phone ring, she looked at it and saw that it was an unknown number. She hesitated, but still picked up and answered.
“Nianzhi.” Huo Shaoheng’s voice traveled from the other end of the line, and Gu Nianzhi’s face lit up like sunshine. “Huo Shao! You didn’t call the wrong number again this time, right?” She asked cheekily.
“Call me Uncle.” Huo Shaoheng was suddenly insistent on correcting how Gu Nianzhi addressed him.
Gu Nianzhi was shocked. She looked at her phone, feeling the sting of the stern command. However, she was accustomed to obeying Huo Shaoheng, so she had no choice but to change her words. “Uncle…Huo.”
Although he was not too satisfied with this name, it was still better than the overly familiar ‘Huo Shao’.
He threw away the butt of his cigarette. His tone was still stern, but the smooth cadences of his voice warmed Gu Nianzhi’s ears. “Nianzhi, I heard from Chen Lie that you were sick and missed your final interview for the post-grad admissions?”
“Huh? Ah, yes.” Gu Nianzhi was a bit embarrassed. “Brother Chen told you?”
“Mhmm. He also told me you saved your fingerprint on someone else’s phone.” Huo Shaoheng’s voice was usually scary due to its deep and resonant sound, but it was tempered by the even manner in which he spoke. However, when he was truly angry, his words were as sharp as blades. The sound of them could carve a person’s heart out if it were possible.
Gu Nianzhi realized that Huo Shaoheng might be angry. She straightened in her seat and tried to keep her voice steady. “It’s my fault. Huo Shao—I mean, Uncle Huo, please don’t be upset. I’ll ask my Class Rep to delete my fingerprint when I go to class tomorrow.”
Huo Shaoheng grunted. He had already decided to leave out that he had ordered Zhao Liangze to delete it.
Gu Nianzhi felt perturbed as the silence grew longer.
“Remember to take care of yourself from now on.” Huo Shaoheng then sensed there was something off with Gu Nianzhi. She seemed very stressed out, and he did not want to frighten her. He didn’t know how to put her at ease, so he stayed silent for a long while before saying into the phone, “Please, darling.”