By evening, the sun had set and the air outside had begun to cool.

Xia Xiyao changed clothes and took Xiao Nainai out grocery shopping. Left alone at home, Gu Xingyi had just picked up his phone and was about to scroll through Douyin when a call came in from Yang Chenglin.

As soon as he answered, the voice of a mature-sounding jiejie came through.

“Mr. Xingyao, is that you?”

“It’s me,” Gu Xingyi replied, and immediately more words followed from the other end.

“Mr. Xingyao, we’ve discussed it internally. We’re willing to let the person you recommended join the company. However, the higher-ups pointed out that currently, you only have two songs to your name—one of them being a children’s song. Please don’t take it the wrong way, both songs are great, but they still want to further evaluate your composing skills. Would that be alright with you?”

As expected, two songs weren’t enough to earn full trust.

Gu Xingyi didn’t dwell on it—he understood. In capitalism, profits always come first. No one would accept someone into a major company just based on two tracks.

“You want me to compose something? Sure.”

His response was crisp and confident. With the cultural knowledge of an entire world in his head, there was nothing to fear when it came to music.

Yang Chenglin had been feeling a bit anxious, but hearing his firm answer brought her a sense of relief.

She’d been busy running around for this all day. Personally, she really liked both of his songs. She believed in his talent. But upper management still had their doubts—who could say how long it had taken him to come up with those two pieces? Maybe they were the result of years of work.

She, too, had her worries. But in the end, she decided to trust her own judgment. Anyone who could write A Life With You and A Burst of Courage couldn’t be ordinary.

Eventually, the company agreed to give Xingyao a chance. Coincidentally, Hua Yin had issued a challenge to a few entertainment companies. Many lyricists and composers had attempted it, but none of their work had passed. Every submission had been rejected.

If Xingyao could crack this challenge, there’d be no more doubts about his abilities.

“Mr. Xingyao, would it be possible for us to meet in person? We’d like you to come here to compose live.”

Yang Chenglin’s voice was earnest. She also wanted to see what this mysterious man looked like—after all, he never even showed his face in videos.

Gu Xingyi thought about it. Aside from taking care of Nainai, he didn’t have much going on. So he readily agreed.

“Alright. When and where?”

“Shanghai. If possible, tomorrow would be best. The sooner you come, the better it is for your exposure and value.”

Hearing how she phrased it, Gu Xingyi felt even more favorable toward this jiejie—very few people considered others like this. Most would prioritize the company.

“Okay, tomorrow then.”

Yang Chenglin, hearing his prompt agreement, exhaled deeply. Her tone noticeably lightened.

“Great. Once you finalize your travel plans, send me a text with the details—this number is fine. I’ll come pick you up.”

“Alright, I’ll text you. Talk soon.”

After hanging up, Gu Xingyi began searching flights to Shanghai. He booked one departing at 10 a.m. the next day.

After texting the details to Yang Chenglin, he closed his eyes for a short rest—completely unbothered by the so-called "challenge" ahead.

Before long, he’d fallen fast asleep.

When Xia Xiyao returned with Xiao Nainai, the first thing she saw was Gu Xingyi dozing peacefully. She quickly put a finger to her lips and gave Xiao Nainai a gentle “shhh.”

Xiao Nainai blinked her big eyes and mimicked her mama with a soft shush. The two shared a silent smile.

Xia Xiyao quietly took the groceries into the kitchen, while Xiao Nainai tiptoed over to the sofa and snuggled into Gu Xingyi’s arms.

In his dream, Gu Xingyi felt like a little kitten was rubbing its face against his. Its soft little paws felt so soothing.

Then suddenly, the “kitten” cupped his nose with both hands. He couldn’t breathe. He squirmed a bit—then jolted awake.

“Ehehehehe~”

Xiao Nainai’s giggles rang out beside his ears.

Gu Xingyi looked down and saw his precious daughter, who had pinched his nose with her warm little hands.

“Papa, time for dinner~”

“Alright!”

He grinned. This kind of life really wasn’t bad at all—so much better than the lonely awakenings in his past life.

Just then, the delicious aroma of food wafted in from the dining area, making his stomach rumble a little.

He looked up.

On the table were crispy pork bites, shredded potatoes, and tomato-egg soup.

It all looked incredibly appetizing.

Then Xia Xiyao walked out of the kitchen, holding two bowls of rice. She glanced at Gu Xingyi and said softly, “You were still sleeping, so I made something simple. It’s not as good as what you make, but I tasted it and it turned out okay.”

Gu Xingyi picked up Xiao Nainai and stood up.

“I think it looks great! The color, aroma, flavor—everything’s there. Just looking at it makes me hungry!”

“I’ll take Nainai to wash her hands. Be right back.”

Hearing his praise, Xia Xiyao turned a little bashful. She nodded and returned to the kitchen to bring out the last bowl of rice.

As the family sat down to eat, Gu Xingyi placed a piece of crispy pork into Nainai’s bowl and then turned to Xia Xiyao.

“By the way, I’ll be heading out tomorrow. Not sure how many days I’ll be gone.”

Xia Xiyao had just taken a sip of soup and immediately choked on it when she heard that. She couldn’t stop coughing.

Gu Xingyi quickly handed her a tissue, concern written all over his face.

Xia Xiyao took the tissue, turning her back to wipe her mouth.

When she heard Gu Xingyi suddenly say he was leaving, she did feel a bit flustered. Her first instinct was to think it had something to do with the two men who came by earlier today.

But after thinking it over, she realized that couldn’t be the case. If it were, he would’ve invited them inside earlier.

After collecting herself, Xia Xiyao finally turned back around.

She wasn’t sure if she should ask where Gu Xingyi was going—there was a strange sense of panic welling up inside her.

Just a week ago, she had still been thinking about leaving. And now, hearing that Gu Xingyi was going away, she subconsciously didn’t want that to happen.

It was Xiao Nainai who asked first. She didn’t understand why mama suddenly started coughing, but she did catch that papa was going away for a few days.

The thought of not seeing her papa for several days made Xiao Nainai visibly downcast.

“Papa, where are you going~?”

She didn’t even touch her favorite steamed egg, pouting with a face full of reluctance.

“Papa’s going to help mama find a job! That way, you’ll get to hear mama sing all the time. Doesn’t that make you happy?”

Nainai was still too young to understand what a “job” was. In her memory, her parents had always been home.

But hearing that she’d get to hear mama sing more often made her very happy—so happy she clapped her little hands.

At her age, she didn’t yet understand that in the future, she might not see her mama as often. She didn’t know if she’d still be this happy then.

“Mama’s going to sing for Nainai all the time~ yay~”

Gu Xingyi rubbed her little head, then turned his gaze to Xia Xiyao.

“Sorry, I didn’t ask you first before deciding for you. It’s just, Nainai said you like singing, so I thought—maybe you really do.”

“I didn’t say anything earlier because things weren’t finalized yet. But now that a company’s invited me for a meeting, if everything goes well, you’ll be able to return to the stage, openly and confidently, to sing again. It’s Yin Hai Entertainment—it should be a decent opportunity.”

He wants me to sing?

Xia Xiyao instinctively looked at him.

Gu Xingyi was serious.

Their eyes met, and Xia Xiyao’s almond-shaped eyes welled up with tears. Her rims turned red.

Her beautiful gaze softened with emotion, so much so that Gu Xingyi couldn’t quite handle it. He lowered his head and kept eating.

Xia Xiyao hadn’t expected that one day, she’d actually have a chance to sing again—and that the one making that happen would be this man.

“Thank you, Gu Xingyi.”

“I love singing. I really, really love it.”

She spoke softly, her voice growing firmer with each word. She loved singing! And she wanted to help Lele and Yun-jie too—to keep them from being mistreated again.

Ever since she met with Taolele, she hadn’t stopped worrying about them.

“No need to thank me. If you love it—that’s enough.”

Gu Xingyi looked up and smiled, his expression gentle.