Evening.

After dinner, Nainai, who had been playing all day, was overwhelmed with sleepiness, her little head nodding forward again and again.

Still, she forced herself to stay awake, insisting on hearing Gu Xingyi tell her a bedtime story before finally dozing off.

Gu Xingyi smiled, tucked the blanket around the little one, gave her a kiss on the forehead, and tiptoed into the living room.

It was only 7 p.m. For the past two days, Gu Xingyi had been thinking hard about what kind of song to prepare for Xia Xiyao—but he still had no inspiration.

There were so many songs from his previous life that he couldn’t even sort through them all. And over on Xia Xiyao’s end, ever since arriving at Yin Hai Entertainment, there hadn’t been much news.

He thought about it for a while, but still had no leads. So he opened Douyin and decided to watch some videos before bed.

The popularity of Only Ordinary still hadn’t died down. Every three or four swipes, he’d see a related video.

Countless netizens were praising it, saying after listening to Xingyao’s song, they couldn’t enjoy anything else. They’d even started a Xingyao fan club on their own, and their profile pictures were all of Nainai’s expression when she sang “A Burst of Courage.”

Gu Xingyi then realized—they had turned Nainai’s expressions into full-blown sticker packs, frame by frame, and were using them like crazy.

Luckily, most fans were focused on Xingyao. Only a small portion of mommy fans and kid fans were Nainai's actual fans. Otherwise, the little one would have to wear a mask whenever she went out. What a hassle that would be!

Besides Only Ordinary, the next hottest topic online was the upcoming StarSong Gathering.

This annual competition always produced one or two breakout stars, which people loved to talk about. Fans of the competing singers were already campaigning like mad for their idols.

The StarSong Gathering was streamed live every year, with four well-known veteran mentors casting votes. There was no chance of a tie, because one vote would come from live audience polling.

This meant viewers played a critical role—sometimes their one vote could determine whether a contestant advanced or got eliminated.

The competition format was simple: 16 contestants, head-to-head battles, matchups decided by lottery. No second chances. Winner advances, loser goes home.

Harsh, but real.

Even in the final four, it's still one-on-one. Only the finals have three rounds, with the organizers giving a keyword for each song. The contestants must create original music based on those keywords.

And in the second round of the finals, they could invite guest performers.

This not only tested the contestant’s skills, but also the ability of their songwriters and their industry connections.

Every year after the show ends, a bunch of new hit songs would emerge—enough to satisfy even the pickiest music lovers.

Gu Xingyi just skimmed past this info. He only knew so much because of the original host’s memories. Anyone in the entertainment world would know about StarSong Gathering.

That said, the current Gu Xingyi wasn’t all that interested.

He swiped through a bunch of videos in a row and was amazed by how ridiculous the algorithm was.

Just pausing for a second had made it flood his feed with nothing but Only Ordinary and StarSong Gathering content.

Tired of it, he shut off his phone and quietly returned to the bedroom.

Sleep. Tomorrow, it’s daddy-daughter time again.

The next morning, Gu Xingyi was woken by the sound of his phone ringing. Beside him, little Nainai was already awake, her big black eyes wide open, counting her eyelashes.

The little one could only count up to 50, so every time she finished, she’d start back at 1.

Gu Xingyi had no idea how long she’d been at it, but she looked thoroughly entertained.

He patted her small head, grabbed his phone, and saw that the call was from that little rascal Tao Lele.

“Hello? It’s early as hell. What’s up?”

He yawned as he answered.

“Hey! Gu Xingyi! Come do something about Xiyao-jie! She’s totally lost it! She hasn’t slept since last night!”

Tao Lele whispered like a secret agent—she had called Gu Xingyi behind Xia Xiyao’s back.

“Huh? What happened?”

Gu Xingyi frowned. Why didn’t this woman take care of herself? He’d just worked so hard to get her to gain a little weight—was she going to lose it all again?

“Xiyao-jie is going on StarSong Gathering, but we don’t have a song. She’s obsessed with writing one and hasn’t slept at all!”

“….”

Gu Xingyi scratched his head. He hadn’t expected Xia Xiyao to already be entering the competition after just a few days.

Technically, their contract with Yin Hai Entertainment stated he was supposed to write her song. This was definitely his oversight—he’d been spending days thinking up a song, and meanwhile, her deadline was already burning.

“Got it. I’ll call her. Lele, thanks for looking after her.”

“Tch! Who said I was helping you? Looking after Xiyao-jie is only right. Anyway, I gotta go—she’s coming out!”

Lele quickly hung up and glanced nervously at Xia Xiyao.

Luckily, after a sleepless night, Xia Xiyao was too out of it to notice.

She was feeling frustrated. She kept feeling like she was this close to grasping the melody, but she couldn’t quite catch it. She didn’t even know what she was missing, and it was driving her nuts.

That’s when Gu Xingyi’s call came through.

Xia Xiyao composed herself and picked up.

“Hello? Is it Nainai missing me?”

“Nainai didn’t miss you and I can’t call? I’m your husband, aren’t I?”

Gu Xingyi’s voice came through the phone, and Xia Xiyao’s face flushed red. It was the first time he had called himself her husband.

She didn’t reply, and both of them fell silent for a moment.

After a while, Gu Xingyi sighed into the phone.

“You’re joining StarSong Gathering and didn’t even tell me?”

“Why push yourself like this for something I could’ve handled? If you wear yourself out, Nainai will be so sad.”

His voice was full of helplessness. From his point of view, this could’ve been so simple—if she’d just told him, it would’ve been done.

But Xia Xiyao, already on the edge from staying up all night, now felt like he was scolding her.

A deep wave of grievance surged in her chest.

She bit her lip instinctively, her eyes welling with tears.

She didn’t say anything. She was afraid he’d hear how broken her voice sounded.

She didn’t want him to see her like this.

Gu Xingyi couldn’t see her face, but he frowned instinctively.

Then he heard her start to sniffle on the other end.

She was crying? What did he even say?!

This made no sense!

“Hey hey hey! Why are you crying all of a sudden?”

He couldn’t help but speak up. Xia Xiyao felt utterly useless.

“Gu Xingyi!”

She suddenly shouted through her tears, the volume a bit high, sounding like a mix of frustration and heartbreak.

Gu Xingyi froze. It was the first time he’d heard her speak to him like that—trembling voice, full of pain. He could imagine the expression on her face.

She was probably pouting, with tear-filled eyes. He could practically picture it.

“I know I’m not that capable, okay? And I always end up relying on you. But I don’t want to be like that, I…”

“I’m sorry! I wasn’t blaming you. I was just worried about your health. Honestly, forgetting to write your song was my fault!”

So that’s what she was thinking?

Only now did Gu Xingyi realize how badly his words had come across. He quickly apologized with a nervous laugh.

Before she could finish her sentence, he’d cut her off. And… was he laughing?

Even now, she was crying, and he was laughing?

Xia Xiyao felt even more wronged. After meeting Yang Chenglin, that onee-san, she couldn’t help comparing herself—feeling like she was inferior in every way.

That onee-san had the looks, the presence, the brains. And from her eyes, Xia Xiyao had clearly seen admiration for Gu Xingyi.

Her mind spiraled with thoughts, but just then, Gu Xingyi’s voice came again.

“But Xia Xiyao! I seriously want to crack open that little head of yours and see what’s inside! To me, you and Nainai are the greatest gifts heaven could’ve given me!”

“Stop overthinking, alright? I’m telling you right now—Xia Xiyao, you are my wife. One of a kind. No one else can ever take your place.”

His voice was firm, every word serious. From the moment he entered this home and was accepted by Xia Xiyao and Nainai, they became his family.

And in a family, there’s no talk of who’s relying on who. Only walking forward, hand in hand.

Xia Xiyao was stunned.

She hadn’t expected him to say something like that. “My wife,” “one of a kind.”

Those words made her cheeks flush instantly, and her bright, teary eyes shimmered.

This was the first time he had ever said such bold, loving words to her.