Gu Xingyi first contacted a housekeeping agency.

Then he drove to the hospital Xia Xiyao had mentioned. Instead of going straight to Yun-jie, he sought out the doctor first.

After understanding the full details of Yun-jie’s mother’s condition from the doctor, he made his way to the inpatient wing and arrived at Room 302.

Outside the room, Gu Xingyi composed himself, deliberately putting on a cold, emotionless face, and knocked softly on the door.

Footsteps approached from inside, and the next second, the door opened.

Yun-jie stood there with slightly red eyes, clearly having cried.

Seeing Gu Xingyi at the door, she was momentarily stunned, unsure of why he had come.

“Yun-jie? Not going to let me in first?”

Gu Xingyi’s voice was calm. Standing a head taller than her, he had a rather imposing presence.

Yun-jie furrowed her brows but still stepped aside, allowing him in.

“Xiao Yun, is this your friend?”

As soon as Gu Xingyi entered the room, he saw an elderly woman with white hair and sunken cheeks sitting up in bed, looking toward him.

Before Yun-jie could reply, Gu Xingyi walked quickly to the bedside and gently held the old lady’s hand.

“Auntie, my wife is Yun-jie’s friend. She came to visit the other day, but you were asleep then, so she didn’t want to disturb you.”

“Oh, so you're a friend of Xiao Yun. Young man, thank you for the trouble. It’s my Xiao Yun’s blessing to have friends like you.”

The old woman gently patted Gu Xingyi’s hand with a kind smile. But her frail, bone-thin frame was heart-wrenching to see.

“Auntie, don’t say that. We’re the ones blessed to have a friend like Yun-jie! My wife’s always talking about how great Yun-jie is—it’s driving me crazy! The only thing is, my wife wanted to work with Yun-jie on this job, but she’s too worried about your health to leave. You have no idea how upset she was when she got home!”

Gu Xingyi rambled on, while behind him, Yun-jie’s face changed drastically.

So this guy had come as a messenger from Xia Xiyao?

“What job? Xiao Yun, what’s going on?”

Yun-jie’s mother didn’t know the specifics of her daughter’s work, and now hearing this, her white brows furrowed.

“Mama! Don’t listen to him rambling—it’s nothing! I’ve still got my job!”

Yun-jie shot a glare at Gu Xingyi and quickly tried to explain.

Though nearly seventy, her mother wasn’t senile. She knew her daughter must’ve been held back by worries about her, and now it was affecting her work.

She immediately clasped Gu Xingyi’s hands tightly and asked, “Young man, thank you for all this trouble. Xiao Yun is strong-willed. Tell me, what job is it?”

Gu Xingyi looked troubled. He glanced at Yun-jie, then said, “Auntie, ah, I’m so bad with words. The thing is, the job requires travel. We planned to hire a nanny to take care of you, but Yun-jie couldn’t put her mind at ease—she insisted on looking after you personally.”

“Xiao Yun! Child, how could you not tell me about this? If the job needs you to travel, then go!”

Her mother turned to look at her seriously.

“Mama!”

Yun-jie was flustered and furious with Gu Xingyi.

Yes, she wanted to stay and care for her mother. But the real reason she couldn’t leave was because she had no money—how could she afford a nanny? She was already at her wits’ end just trying to scrape together money for the next surgery.

“Yun-jie, let’s step outside and talk?”

Gu Xingyi’s expression stayed calm, as if he didn’t care at all about the furious glare she gave him. He squeezed her mother’s hand gently and said kindly, “Auntie, don’t worry. I’ll discuss it with Yun-jie.”

With that, he got up and left the room.

Yun-jie bit her lip, glanced at her mother, and followed him out.

In the corridor, she glared up at Gu Xingyi.

“What exactly are you trying to do?”

“Just treat me like the bad guy. I just don’t want Xia Xiyao to be sad. I know her. If you don’t go, she’ll keep thinking about you. At best, she’ll only be half as invested in her work.”

“Oh, and by the way—I already paid the hospital for auntie’s next surgery. And I’ve arranged a nanny. Here’s the contact list, you can pick who you want.”

Gu Xingyi replied flatly, the height difference between them making him seem a bit domineering.

“Oh really? Gu Xingyi, are you trying to pity me?”

Yun-jie let out an angry laugh.

“You’re overthinking it! You’ll pay me back! We’ll just deduct it from the salary Xiyao gives you. You and Lele are going because of her, not because of Yin Hai Entertainment. I don’t care how much she pays you—that’s her business. But this money is mine! You’re paying me back!”

Gu Xingyi shrugged like a complete rascal.

“Anyway, the surgery and nanny costs are already paid. They don’t offer refunds. What you do next is your business.”

He didn’t give Yun-jie time to respond. After speaking, he turned and strode toward the exit.

“Gu Xingyi! Don’t tell Xiyao!”

As he neared the door, Yun-jie’s voice called after him. Gu Xingyi didn’t even turn around—he just waved his hand.

Yun-jie stood there watching his figure disappear beyond the door, eyes full of complicated emotions. It took her a long time to return to the room.

“Xiao Yun, that young man left already?”

Her mother saw her return alone and patted the bed, gesturing for her to sit.

“Don’t be mad at him. He’s a good one. Mama’s met a lot of people, and you can tell just by looking into his eyes what kind of person he is.”

“I know you’re filial, but child, there are many roads in life. If you choose the wrong one, you’ll regret it later! Mama’s doing fine, isn’t she? Just one more surgery and I’ll be fully recovered. The doctor even said it’s not a high-risk procedure.”

“So don’t worry about me. Go! If I become the reason you regret things in the future, that would break Mama’s heart.”

Yun-jie lowered her head and listened silently to her mother’s words. After a long pause, she finally gave a small nod.

Meanwhile, back at home, as soon as Gu Xingyi stepped inside, Xia Xiyao ran over, her little face full of curiosity.

Gu Xingyi deliberately ignored her and cheerfully scooped up Xiao Nainai.

“Nainai, what do you want to eat for dinner?”

Xia Xiyao froze, staring in disbelief at Gu Xingyi as he walked past her.

“Anything Papa makes, I love!”

The little one chimed in enthusiastically, completely unaware that Mama’s face was about to storm over.

“Great! Then Papa will go make it now!”

He gave the little one a kiss on the cheek and headed for the kitchen.

“Gu Xingyi! I’m mad!”

Xia Xiyao pouted with a face full of grievance—he was ignoring her!

Didn’t he know how anxiously she’d been waiting at home?

“Huh? What’s the matter?”

Gu Xingyi turned around with an innocent expression, which only made Xia Xiyao angrier. He had called her "dummy" so sweetly before leaving—now he was playing dumb?

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. She plopped onto the couch, crossed her arms, and turned her face away from him.

Fiery temper—nice!

Gu Xingyi chuckled and decided to stop teasing.

“When you go out tomorrow, make sure to bring your two loyal bodyguards. With your temper, if you don’t bring them, you’re bound to get bullied.”

Xia Xiyao whipped her head around, eyes sparkling. The speed of her mood shift stunned even Gu Xingyi.

“Yun-jie agreed?!”

“What do you think? Alright, I’m cooking now. Please don’t disturb me.”

“Gu Xingyi, how did you pull it off?!”

“Aba aba…”

“……”