The boss has no descendants, but he encounters four smaller versions of himself

Looking at Sophia's expectant yet fearful eyes, Su Chaoji felt the difficulty of answering the question for the first time.

he does not know.

This trip will take him into the nation's top-level laboratory, where he will dedicate himself to research on the virtual world and artificial intelligence.

It could be a few months, it could be a few years, it could be... longer.

What will this place look like when he finishes his research? Will the temporary border camp still exist? Grandpa Bart should have already redeployed his troops, and Sofia will return to her city and start a normal life.

Time changes everything.

"I don't know either," Su Chaoji finally said honestly.

The light in Sofia's eyes dimmed for a moment.

She lowered her head, looking at her little leather shoes, tears falling drop by drop onto the ground, spreading into tiny dark dots.

But she quickly looked up again, wiped away her tears with her sleeve, and asked, "Brother, will we ever see each other again?"

Su Chaoji looked down at the little girl, recalling how she had kept him company while he worked in the tent that night, and finally couldn't bear to refuse: "Yes, I will. When I'm done with my work, I'll contact your grandpa, and then I'll come to play with you."

Sofia nodded vigorously, as if engraving the promise into her heart.

"Brother, I'll wait for you."

Su Chaoji looked into her eyes, remained silent for a few seconds, and then took out a notebook and a pen from his pocket.

He tore off a page and wrote down a string of numbers—a number.

He folded the note and handed it to Sofia.

"If anything happens, you can call me."

Sofia's eyes lit up instantly, and she reached out her hands, happily taking the note.

The note seemed especially precious in her little hands. She held it tightly, afraid that it would be blown away by the wind or that she would lose it by accident.

"I will keep it safe." She said solemnly, her voice still trembling with sobs, but filled with joy.

Su Chaoji nodded.

He glanced at Sofia one last time, then looked at Bart not far away.

Bart stood there, his eyes red-rimmed, but with an understanding smile on his face.

"Goodbye," Su Chaoji said, waving to Sofia.

"Goodbye!" Sofia raised her little hand and waved vigorously.

This time, Su Chaoji turned and walked up the gangway without looking back.

Until the hatch is closed.

Sofia remained standing there, her little hand still raised in the air, her eyes fixed on that figure's back.

The roar of the aircraft engines suddenly increased.

Finally, it took off and soared into the sky.

At that moment, Sofia desperately chased after the plane, not wanting it to fly away, crying out, "Brother, brother..."

But the airplane got smaller and smaller, from a big bird to a small bird, and finally to a tiny black dot, getting farther and farther away.

Sofia couldn't catch up with him no matter how hard she tried.

She was running too fast and tripped over some loose stones, falling to the ground.

But he quickly got up and continued running forward.

"Yaya, come back!"

I heard my grandfather's worried voice from behind me.

Bart strode after him.

Sofia finally stopped, stood in the center of the field, and looked up at the empty sky.

The plane is gone.

The sky was a clear, deep blue, as if that plane had never existed.

She turned around, ran towards her grandfather, threw herself into Bart's open arms, and burst into tears.

She cried so hard.

She cried and asked, "Grandpa, do you think my brother will come back to find us?"

Bart hugged his granddaughter tightly, gently patting her back with his large hand. "Yes, I will, didn't I promise you?"

After a long while, Sofia's crying gradually turned into sobs. She lifted her little face from her grandfather's arms, her eyes swollen like peaches, her nose red, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Then, will my brother remember me?"

Bart gently wiped away her tears, saying, "Of course I would. Yaya is so adorable, who could forget her?"

Sofia asked the last question very softly, as if afraid to hear the answer: "What if... what if my brother forgets me?"

Bart's heart clenched.

After a moment, Bart replied firmly, "No, my brother isn't that kind of person, and you see..."

He pointed to the slightly crumpled note in Sophia's tightly clenched little hand, "Your brother gave you this. As long as you have this, you can stay in touch."

Sofia looked down at the note, stretched out her small hand, carefully smoothed out the creases, and then clenched it again.

"Yes." She nodded vigorously, tears welling up again, but this time they were tears of laughter. "Brother keeps his word, he will definitely remember me."

She pulled away from her grandfather's arms, stood there, and took one last look in the direction the plane had disappeared.

"Brother, we will definitely meet again. You must come and visit Sophia!"