One night.

Yang Chenglin couldn’t even imagine how much talent it would take to compose such a complete song in such a short time.

She couldn’t wait to hear what this song would sound like when sung!

“I can do it,” Gu Xingyi nodded.

He closed his eyes to gather his emotions, recalling the feeling he had when he first heard this song in his past life.

Yang Chenglin immediately sat upright like a devoted listener, her beautiful eyes shining ever brighter.

A serious Gu Xingyi was truly captivating!

Gu Xingyi opened his eyes and saw the scene.

He cleared his throat, looked slightly away, took a deep breath, and began to sing softly.

    “Maybe it’s far, or maybe it was just yesterday,
    Here or across the sea.
    Through long roads of separation and reunion, of joy and sorrow,
    People come together and part again.

    Only when you let go of right and wrong do you find the answer,
    To live takes courage.
    Without a divine halo,
    You and I are born ordinary.”

Gu Xingyi’s expression was serious, his tone reverent. His voice was gentle, as if slowly telling stories of everyday moments that left deep impressions.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, casting a glow on his focused face.

The scene made Yang Chenglin feel as if she’d glimpsed a ray of light piercing the darkness and shining down upon the world.

    “In heartbreak, we recognize regrets.
    Life is long, and also brief.
    Our beating hearts grow vines,
    Ready to fight for what’s right.

    Falling into darkness, plunging into the abyss,
    Faces covered in dirt,
    Without divine halos,
    We cling to the ordinary in our hands.

    In this heart, in this life, no regrets—
    The fire of life is already lit.”

Yes, this was the feeling!

Yang Chenglin’s heart began to tremble. It was the same feeling she’d had when she first read the project documents.

Heartbreak, reverence for life, love and pain for those heroes.

Now she finally understood what "the gap" meant. Everyone could feel it, but they couldn’t express it.

But Gu Xingyi—he could. He captured it all in one song.

Yes! Because of these lovable heroes, who fearlessly ignited the fire of life, miracles could happen in this world.

Yang Chenglin stared at the young man in front of her in awe, completely immersed in his song.

    “One day we may go far away,
    Maybe we’ll meet again.
    Whether among the crowd or at the edge of the sky,
    Let me look at your face once more.

    Even if tears fill my eyes,
    Though silent, they flow.
    We don’t want divine halos,
    Only your ordinary self.”

When Gu Xingyi sang this part, his eyes grew slightly moist. He seemed to see once again those blurred but angelic faces.

It was as if he stood there, watching those being rescued bow in gratitude to their saviors.

Opposite him, Yang Chenglin’s tears were already falling. She didn’t even notice it herself, staring blankly at Gu Xingyi.

In her mind, he had once been a talented but arrogant man. Now, his image was becoming clearer—he wasn’t just talented, he had a delicate heart and qualities few others possessed.

He had a heart that was always full of gratitude.

There is no true peace—only people carrying burdens for others behind the scenes.

    “In this heart, in this life, no regrets—
    The fire of life is already lit!”

As the song ended, Yang Chenglin was still lost in its power. It wasn’t until Gu Xingyi gently coughed that she snapped back to reality.

She hastily wiped her tears and stood up, eyes bright and shining so much that Gu Xingyi had to look away, slightly embarrassed.

“Well... was it okay?”

“More than okay! Gu-xiaoyou! I never imagined you’d give us such an incredible surprise!”

Just as Yang Chenglin was about to speak, the office door was suddenly pushed open. Yang Xian entered while clapping, his face full of delighted surprise.

Behind him followed Human Resources Director Zhang Chao, who looked utterly stunned. He couldn’t believe that Gu Xingyi had really written a song in such a short time—and such a perfect one at that!

“Dad! Can’t you knock before coming in?!”

Seeing who it was, Yang Chenglin panicked a little. She quickly wiped her face again and snapped at Yang Xian in protest.

Yang Xian didn’t look the least bit guilty. He was still grinning, though he did give his daughter a slightly strange look.

How long had it been since he’d seen his daughter show this kind of soft, feminine side?

“If I hadn’t come in, how would I have known that Gu-xiaoyou wrote such a fantastic song?”

Alright then, Gu Xingyi thought to himself. He’d just been demoted from “Mr. Gu” to “little friend Gu.” Typical businessman behavior—the moment you bring value, you become family!

“You’re too kind, Chairman Yang. I’m just glad you’re satisfied.”

“Satisfied? Extremely satisfied! Gu-xiaoyou, now that we have the song, if it gets selected by Huayin, we’ll sign the contract with Xia Xiyao immediately. For now, let’s sign a cooperation agreement so you don’t have to worry about it, okay?”

Yang Xian smiled as he nodded. His efficiency was admirable—he immediately locked the matter down.

Gu Xingyi finally let out a sigh of relief. He knew that everything was basically set now.

They signed the cooperation agreement on the spot. As long as the song was selected, the deal Gu Xingyi had made with Yin Hai Entertainment would be fully implemented.

Once the paperwork was done, Gu Xingyi turned to take his leave.

“Chairman Yang, now that everything’s settled, I’ll be heading out.”

“Alright. I hope we’ll have a pleasant partnership in the future!”

Gu Xingyi nodded slightly, holding the agreement as he walked to the door.

“I’ll walk you out,” Yang Chenglin suddenly said.

She’d been avoiding eye contact the whole time. She still couldn’t believe how she’d looked at him just now—like a fangirl. For a onee-san like her, that was just plain embarrassing.

But now that he was leaving, she suddenly felt an odd sense of reluctance.

Ahem. “Xiaolin, I seem to recall you still have unfinished work. Xiao Gu’s not a child—he doesn’t need you escorting him,” Yang Xian said quickly before Gu Xingyi could even respond.

Gu Xingyi looked at Yang Chenglin and smiled gratefully. “Thank you for the kind offer, Vice Director Yang, but I’ll just call a cab.”

With that, he turned, quietly closed the door behind him, and walked away.

Inside the office, Yang Chenglin suddenly puffed up like an angry kitten.

“Dad! What the hell was that?! He just delivered such an amazing song, and you shoo him off like that! Who does that?!”

Zhang Chao, still in the room, felt a chill down his spine. He swallowed hard and quickly said, “Uh... I’ve got work to do. Excuse me. Goodbye!”

Without waiting for Yang Xian to reply, he darted out and shut the door behind him.

Outside, he wiped the sweat off his forehead and scurried away. No way was he sticking around for a father-daughter storm.

Back inside, Yang Xian wasn’t angry at all. Instead, he spoke with a hint of sincere concern.

“Xiaolin, you’re not getting any younger. You should think about settling down.”

“Young Gu’s a great guy, I’ll give you that—but don’t forget. He’s married. And as far as I know, he has a daughter too, right?”

Yang Chenglin went quiet. After a pause, she said coldly, “Of course I know. I just wanted to walk him out because I was the one who invited him here. That’s all.”

The onee-san mask returned. Even her own father found her intimidating again.

“Alright, alright! As long as you’re clear about it. Oh, and now that I think about it, I’ve got work to do too! Gotta go!”

Yang Xian turned to leave, but poked his head back in with one last remark.

“I’m serious, my lovely daughter—you’re already 26! Time to find a man!”

“Get out!”

“You got it! I’m going, I’m going!”