Seeing that his daughter still couldn’t believe it,
Yang Xian could only nod, placing both hands on Yang Chenglin’s shoulders, and said earnestly:

“I don’t want to let Xia Xiyao go either. But if we go head-to-head with Tianmei Entertainment, it’ll only end in mutual destruction. And don’t forget, Shengshi Entertainment is watching, along with countless entertainment companies, big and small — they’re all keeping an eye on this.”

“The company’s interests come before everything. We have no choice but to let her go. But do you really think Gu Xingyi won’t have a backup plan? The two of them aren’t the nobodies they used to be.”

“If they had chosen to start their own entertainment company back then and grow independently, the best outcome would’ve been Gu Xingyi developing slowly with Xia Xiyao, hiding from the spotlight, cautiously avoiding the gaze of the big companies. It wouldn’t be anything like now, where they got to enjoy the shade under our tree. Yin Hai doesn’t owe them — we gave them the stage to rise during those early days!”

After saying all this, Yang Xian looked at Yang Chenglin, who was still frozen in place, and let out a silent sigh.

If only his daughter had someone like Gu Xingyi backing her, would he even need to explain this much today?

Xia Xiyao… she really is a lucky woman.

No matter how turbulent things were behind the scenes in the entertainment world, everything still looked calm and peaceful on the surface.

The public was still happily chatting online, wondering what the next new song on Xia Xiyao’s album would be, what shows she might appear on after the album dropped — they just couldn’t get enough of the topic.

The ears of netizens could never be satisfied. Even though they were still listening to those previous songs in poor-quality versions, they were already eagerly anticipating Gu Xingyi’s next release.

At this moment, Xia Xiyao had just finished recording the final track of her album and was resting in her private lounge. Tao Lele was leaning over the desk, sorting through Xia Xiyao’s upcoming schedule.

These past few days had been exhausting — recording sessions, nonstop promotions, and a jam-packed calendar full of events.

Xia Xiyao rubbed her shoulders, pulled out her phone, and opened WeChat. The chat with Gu Xingyi was still paused on last night’s messages.

Looking at their conversation, a soft smile appeared on her face.

Yesterday, it seemed Nainai had kicked off the blanket again… She wondered what time Gu Xingyi ended up going to sleep. As the thought came to mind, a light blush bloomed on her face. Nainai took after her — couldn’t sleep properly to save her life.

Just then, the door to the lounge suddenly swung open. Xia Xiyao and Tao Lele both looked up. It was Yun-jie who had returned — but her face looked terrible.

“Yun-jie? Did something happen?”

Xia Xiyao put her phone down and looked up.

“Xiyao, something’s gone wrong. The company has canceled all of your future schedules! And they won’t be providing you with any more resources moving forward. I just got the news — it looks like someone out there has started blacklisting you.”

“Blacklist?! Why?!”

The moment Tao Lele heard that, she shot to her feet, eyes wide in disbelief.

“How can they blacklist Xiyao-jie?! She hasn’t done anything wrong!”

Xia Xiyao also frowned. She had no idea what was happening either.

Yun-jie took a deep breath, forcing down the anger bubbling inside her. She had just finished arguing with the company’s upper management — especially that manager Lina, whose smug, gloating face made her want to punch something.

“It’s probably because Xiyao’s become too popular and stepped on the wrong toes. Things like this — only the Big Three companies would dare pull this kind of stunt. Either Tianmei’s putting pressure on us, or Shengshi. Or maybe… they’re working together.”

Yun-jie had been a manager for many years and was highly attuned to the shifts within the entertainment world. She had feared Xia Xiyao might attract unwanted attention by growing too popular — and now, it had actually happened. And it wasn’t just suppression — it was a full-on blacklist.

“So what do we do now? Is the company planning to freeze Xiyao-jie?”

Tao Lele grew anxious, her face full of worry as she looked at Xia Xiyao.

Yun-jie also turned her gaze to Xia Xiyao.

“Xiyao, let Gu Xingyi know. He’s the only one who can help now. I’ve reviewed the contract — if Yin Hai Entertainment breaches it, we can walk away anytime.”

“Yes! Tell Gu Xingyi! Xiyao-jie! Call your man right now and tell him you’re being bullied!”

At the mention of Gu Xingyi, Tao Lele’s eyes lit up instantly.

Right! They still had that monster Gu Xingyi on their side — what was there to be afraid of?

Xia Xiyao hesitated only for a moment before nodding. She knew this wasn’t the time to act tough, and her relationship with Gu Xingyi was no longer what it had been.

Last time, she hadn’t told Gu Xingyi when something happened because she still had her reservations. But now, those reservations were gone.

It was Saturday.

Gu Xingyi was at the mall with Nainai, shopping for new clothes for her. As a doting papa, it was his nature to dress his daughter up as adorably as possible.

A store assistant was helping Xiao Nainai try on a new outfit in the fitting room while Gu Xingyi sat alone on a nearby bench, waiting. Then his phone rang.

Gu Xingyi glanced at the caller ID, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

“Hello? What’s got you calling me this early in the afternoon?”

“Gu daizi~ I’ve been blacklisted.”

That one simple sentence wiped the smile right off his face. His expression instantly turned serious.

“Blacklisted? Someone’s got guts. What did Yin Hai Entertainment say?”

“All my upcoming schedules have been canceled. They’re cutting off all resources.”

Hah. So they’re really going all out?

Gu Xingyi only needed a moment to figure out Yin Hai Entertainment’s angle. Back then, sending Xia Xiyao there had been a calculated decision — he wanted her to enjoy the shelter of a big company.

He never thought that big tree would end up being so unreliable.

“Got it. Wait for me. I’m coming now.”

“Mm~”

Xia Xiyao responded softly, her tone clearly carrying a trace of joy.

“Then I’ll hang up first! Don’t worry — I’ve got this!”

As the call ended, the store assistant happened to come out with Nainai in her arms, now wearing the new outfit.

Dressed up like a little princess out of a fairytale, Nainai had twin bows in her hair that bounced happily as she grinned.

Gu Xingyi took Nainai from the assistant, gathered up her old clothes, paid the bill, and then carried the little one toward the mall exit.

“Nainai~ how about we go see Mama?”

Gu Xingyi smiled as he gently pinched her chubby cheeks.

At the mention of Mama, Nainai’s eyes lit up and curved into little crescent moons.

“Yes~! Nainai misses Mama too!”

“Great! Then let’s go right now!”

“Heeheehee~ Papa, does Mama miss Nainai too?”

“She sure does! And this time, we’re bringing Mama home with us!”

One big and one small figure walked toward the mall’s parking lot, their cheerful laughter echoing under the bright sky.