After walking out of the Yin Hai building, Gu Xingyi waited by the roadside for a long time before finally flagging down a taxi.

As he got in, the driver joked that only rich people worked around here, and taxis usually didn’t come to this area—he was just lucky to get one.

Gu Xingyi shrugged helplessly. He was here to ask for a favor after all.

But this just made his desire to buy a car even stronger. Going out was way too inconvenient—just waiting for a ride wasted half the day.

As the car made its way to the hotel, Gu Xingyi searched for return flights home. He planned to pack up at the hotel, grab lunch, and head out.

Even though he’d only left home yesterday morning, he already found himself missing it.

He didn’t understand why. Back in his original world, he could be gone for long stretches and never feel homesick. But here, something had changed.

He hadn’t even picked a flight yet when Yang Chenglin called.

“Hello, Mr. Gu? I’m really sorry. My dad’s tone was a bit harsh. I’d like to apologize on his behalf.”

Her voice sounded cold, like she was still annoyed at someone.

Gu Xingyi was a bit surprised. He hadn’t taken it personally. In fact, Yang Xian had been fairly tactful. As a big-time executive, he’d shown a lot of courtesy.

As for whether it was a case of using someone and then discarding them?

Not at all. It was just business—fair exchange.

After seeing all kinds of people in the world of capital, Gu Xingyi was long used to it.

“Huh? It’s really fine. I didn’t think anything was wrong. Don’t worry about it.”

Hearing that, Yang Chenglin’s tone softened a bit.

“As long as you don’t mind... By the way, are you on your way back to the hotel?”

“Yeah, I’m already in the car. Just heading back to pack up and then I’m flying back to Jiangcheng.”

There was a short silence on the other end before Yang Chenglin spoke again.

“Here’s the thing—Mr. Gu, it’d be better if you stayed a couple more days. If your song gets selected, Huayin will probably need your involvement. Since you wrote both the lyrics and the music, you understand the song best.”

“I extended your hotel booking. So you don’t need to worry.”

Hearing that, Gu Xingyi’s plan to go home fell apart. A hollow feeling hit him.

But she had a point—if they needed him for anything else, flying back and forth between two cities wasn’t ideal.

“Alright, got it. I’ll stay a few more days. Thanks for letting me know.”

“No problem.”

After hanging up, Gu Xingyi put down his phone with a sigh and turned to look out the window at the scenery flying past.

He was really starting to miss the little one at home.

Just thinking about Xiao Nainai made Gu Xingyi smile without realizing it.

As if they were telepathically connected, the moment he got back to his hotel room and idly took out his phone, a call from Xia Xiyao came in.

He picked up—and immediately heard Xiao Nainai’s voice on the other end.

“Hello? Is this papa?”

It was the little one! Even without seeing her, Gu Xingyi’s face lit up like an auntie watching her niece on stage.

“It’s papa! Is Nainai missing papa already?”

“Yup! Papa! Mama wants to know when you’re coming back!”

At home, Xiao Nainai was cuddled in Xia Xiyao’s lap, holding the phone with both hands and speaking sweetly.

Xia Xiyao’s cheeks turned red immediately. She shot the little one an exasperated look. Clearly it was her who had insisted on calling—why drag her into it?

I never asked that question!

“Well, tell mama that papa won’t be home for a few more days!”

Gu Xingyi chuckled to himself. He was sure the little one wanted him back and had just used Xia Xiyao as an excuse.

Xiao Nainai’s mood clearly dropped after hearing that. She let out a soft whine through the phone.

Gu Xingyi’s lips curled up as he stretched out comfortably on the bed.

“Did Nainai eat well today?”

Upon hearing that, the little girl glanced quickly at her mama, then lowered her head like a guilty cat and mumbled, “Yes~ but I really want to eat papa’s cooking again!”

Her tone was so serious, even Xia Xiyao, who’d been “eavesdropping,” couldn’t help but laugh in frustration.

She’s already tattling at this age? And doing it so indirectly? Was she implying mama’s cooking wasn’t good?

Then she heard Gu Xingyi’s booming laughter from the other side of the phone.

Her face flushed even redder. She quickly snatched the phone.

“Alright! That’s enough chatting with papa for today!”

“Hey! I didn’t ask that!”

“Mm... I know. Everything okay at home?”

Hearing Gu Xingyi’s answer only made her more annoyed. Was he holding back laughter?

“Everything’s great! You’ve only been gone a day! What could possibly go wrong?! Anyway, I’ve got to go make lunch. Bye!”

“Wait! Wait! You can’t just hang up! I haven’t finished talking with the little one!”

“Goodbye!”

Xia Xiyao didn’t give him a chance and hung up on the spot.

Her face was burning. If they kept talking, she might’ve wanted to hit someone!

Seeing that Xiao Nainai was still staring longingly at the phone, Xia Xiyao decided today’s lunch would be her least favorite veggie—bok choy.

That’s right! Kids shouldn’t be picky eaters!

Meanwhile, Gu Xingyi listened to the dial tone with a twinge of regret, but he couldn’t help smiling.

This was the first time he’d seen this side of Xia Xiyao. It was... really nice.

Before, she always gave off a strange sense of suppression, as if she had no emotions of her own—so soft and gentle that it felt like weakness.

In his mind, Gu Xingyi had once called it: someone missing an independent soul.

But now, that was changing. She was slowly returning to herself—and that was a good thing.

Waiting was always the hardest part.

Before he knew it, July was nearly over, and August was around the corner.

Gu Xingyi had already spent two days in Modu. During this time, he’d had a few more calls with Yang Chenglin, and they no longer felt like strangers.

At the very least, she’d stopped calling him “Mr.” Gu. That always made him feel ancient—he was still a young guy!

He kept up his morning jogs and everything else was peaceful. No news yet from Huayin, so all he could do was wait.

Then, on the evening of the third day, he got a call from a number that felt both unfamiliar and familiar.

“Hey! Is this Lao Gu? It’s Chen Feng!”

Chen Feng?

Gu Xingyi hadn’t expected this call. He quickly sifted through the original host’s memories.

After a moment, it came to him—this was his best friend from college!

After graduating, they’d gone their separate ways. The original host had joined a boy band competition, while Chen Feng had been forced to go home and inherit his family’s small supermarket.

That hadn’t been his dream, though. Chen Feng had always wanted to work in the animation industry. After all, they’d graduated from a media university, and Chen Feng had studied animation production.

“Feng... Madman Feng? Long time no see!”

Thinking of their college days, the two of them hanging out like brothers, Gu Xingyi smiled as he answered.

He hadn’t made any real friends in this world yet. But recalling Chen Feng’s personality and character from the original memories, Gu Xingyi smiled even more.

Having a genuine friend... might actually be pretty great.