When Gu Xingyi opened the door, he was greeted by none other than Gao Cheng and Xu Bin, former members of the boy band he used to be in. Both wore mocking smirks and tried to peer into the house behind him.

But Gu Xingyi stood firmly in the doorway, completely blocking their view.

“Well, well! Xiao Gu, what took you so long to open up? Don’t want us here or what?”

Just looking at their smug faces made Gu Xingyi want to punch them.

Both were older than him, but back when they were in the group, they used to call him gege because he had been the face of the team—the most popular member, the reason the group even got noticed.

When he started dating Xia Xiyao, they were all envious. But after he and Xia Xiyao left the spotlight and faded into obscurity, their attitudes flipped. Now, every time they spoke, it was with sneers and sarcasm, constantly calling him "Xiao Gu" like a joke.

The fact that the original Gu Xingyi had still tried to curry favor with them was honestly pathetic.

But Gu Xingyi wasn’t that fool anymore—he wasn’t going to give these clowns a warm welcome.

“You already know the answer and still asked? You’re not welcome here. Get lost.”

He narrowed his eyes, his tone cold and unwelcoming.

Gao Cheng licked his lips and stepped forward.

“Xiao Gu, why so grumpy today? Didn’t you used to beg to see us? We’re here now and this is the attitude we get? Ah! I get it—you haven’t had a drink yet! Come on, let gege have a few with you.”

If this had been the old Gu Xingyi, he would’ve happily invited them in for drinks without hesitation.

But not anymore. Gu Xingyi simply began closing the door, dodging Gao Cheng’s outstretched hand and keeping his face indifferent.

“I quit drinking. And I don’t want to see you again. Don’t come looking for me.”

Gao Cheng froze in place, stared at him, then exchanged a glance with Xu Bin. They both laughed.

“Xiao Bin, did I hear that right? He said he doesn’t want to see us?”

Gao Cheng exaggeratedly rubbed his ears in disbelief.

Xu Bin chuckled, “You didn’t mishear, Gao gege. He’s throwing us out! Impressive! Just like Qian-jie said, someone’s clearly lost his mind, still thinking he’s hot stuff like back in the day.”

Gao Cheng’s expression turned cold instantly.

“What’s this? You getting cocky? Forgot how you used to beg us?”

Looking at these two clowns, Gu Xingyi didn’t even want to waste words.

What was this, a Sichuan opera? One act after another? With the way they were bantering back and forth, they should’ve gone into comedy, not idol groups.

Gu Xingyi glanced back at the tightly closed bedroom door—Xiao Nainai and Xia Xiyao were still inside. He didn’t want a scene scaring them. So he clapped Gao Cheng’s shoulder and waved them away.

“Let’s go. If you’ve got something to say, we’ll say it outside.”

Before either of them could react, he grabbed one by the arm and dragged them out the door.

By the time they realized what was happening and tried to shake him off, they were stunned—his grip was iron-strong. No matter how hard they struggled, they couldn’t break free.

They were finally released once they were outside in the apartment corridor.

“Go back to wherever you crawled out of. I’m not saying it again.”

Gao Cheng and Xu Bin were red-faced with embarrassment. They had promised Liu Qian they’d get the job done, but now they'd completely failed—and the strength Gu Xingyi just showed had shaken them.

“Aren’t you curious why we came to find you?”

Gao Cheng asked, and Xu Bin jumped in quickly, as if afraid he’d lose the chance, “We came to invite you back to the group! Isn’t that what you always wanted?”

“Oh?”

Gu Xingyi raised a brow, curious what nonsense they were about to spin.

Seeing that he seemed to be considering it, the two exchanged smug glances.

See? He’s tempted.

Gao Cheng put his arrogant tone back on and sneered, “Didn’t you always say Xia Xiyao ruined your career? Well, we can help you make a comeback. But! You need to divorce her. How about it? Pretty easy, huh?”

Gu Xingyi stared at them sideways. Did they think he was a total idiot?

“Are you done? Then get lost. Just seeing you ruins my appetite.”

“Gu Xingyi! Don’t push it!”

“You’re the ones pushing it.”

He didn’t back down in the slightest.

These two clowns had probably been lounging around in bars and clubs nonstop. Meanwhile, after a week of exercise, Gu Xingyi felt healthier than ever. Maybe it was the whole transmigration thing, but he was definitely stronger than in his past life.

Watching their red, frustrated faces as they hesitated to act, Gu Xingyi clapped Gao Cheng on the shoulder again—startling him so badly he flinched.

“I know why you’re here. Go back and tell your master to keep her claws off Xia Xiyao. Otherwise… heh.”

With that, Gu Xingyi turned and walked away without sparing them another glance.

Gao Cheng and Xu Bin were left behind, humiliated. Their faces flushed as they stared daggers at his retreating back.

What they thought would be a quick errand had completely backfired. Worse, they had already taken the promised reward from Liu Qian.

Xu Bin whispered, “Gao gege… we’re just letting him go like that?”

Gao Cheng rubbed his sore shoulder, teeth clenched. “What else can we do? He’s like a different person. That strength…”

“Let’s go. Since this didn’t work, we’ll figure out something else later.”

Xu Bin let out a defeated grunt, and the two left.

Meanwhile, Gu Xingyi returned home in high spirits.

The moment he stepped through the door, both of his precious girls visibly relaxed.

Xiao Nainai was still in Xia Xiyao’s arms. She didn’t go back to her toys but stared up at Gu Xingyi with her big, shiny eyes. Only when she saw his familiar smile did she leave her mama’s arms and run over to hug his leg.

Xia Xiyao, still sitting at the table mid-meal, looked at him with concern.

“They… left?”

“Yeah. Sent them packing. They won’t be back.”

Gu Xingyi replied lightly, picking up Xiao Nainai and heading to the sofa with her.

As he casually played with her, Xia Xiyao finally turned back to her meal.

The house returned to its warm and cozy atmosphere, and the brief disturbance was quickly forgotten by the three of them.

But it wasn’t so easy for Gao Cheng and Xu Bin. After being thoroughly humiliated by Gu Xingyi, they were immediately scolded again by Liu Qian.

They had promised her they’d get the job done. Instead, they got kicked out.

Now, their resentment toward Gu Xingyi only grew stronger.