At three in the afternoon, Gu Xingyi arrived at the Yinhai Entertainment Building.

After parking the car, he picked up Xiao Nainai and walked straight inside.

Along the way, quite a few people noticed Gu Xingyi holding a child. Now that they knew the truth, many avoided eye contact, yet couldn’t help but sneak glances at him as he stepped into the elevator.

They were aware that Xia Xiyao’s biggest trump card had arrived. They were also curious how this man—who had quickly risen to fame in the entertainment industry—would handle this incident.

He arrived smoothly at the twelfth floor and pushed open the door to Xia Xiyao’s dressing room.

Xia Xiyao, Yun jie, and Tao Lele were sitting on the sofa, discussing the situation. Their expressions were somewhat troubled. After all, it was a tricky matter. So far, no one had managed to make a comeback after being blacklisted by a major company.

Hearing the door open, they looked up, and upon seeing who it was, joy immediately lit up their faces.

Gu Xingyi had finally arrived!

“Hello there~ beautiful ladies. Why are you all looking so gloomy?”

Gu Xingyi greeted them with a smile, looking completely relaxed. His demeanor helped ease the tension in the room a little.

“Mama! Hug hug! Papa said he's taking you home today!”

Nainai’s face bloomed with joy. The moment the little one saw her mama, she opened her arms wide to leap into her embrace.

Xia Xiyao stood up and took Xiao Nainai from Gu Xingyi’s arms. The moment she saw her daughter’s smiling face, all her worries vanished without a trace.

She gave the little one’s cheek a loving kiss and then exaggerated playfully.

“Yah! Who is this chubby little dumpling? Is this really my Nainai?”

As soon as Gu Xingyi heard Xia Xiyao’s words, he realized something was about to go wrong. Sure enough, as soon as Xiao Nainai heard her mama’s words, her little mouth started to tremble, and her joyful smile disappeared instantly. She looked at her mama with big, pitiful eyes.

Wuwuwu~ Mama’s changed! She’s no longer the good mama she used to be!

Everyone was amused by how quickly the little one’s expression changed and burst out laughing. Tao Lele bounced over, wanting to tease the little one too, but Xiao Nainai turned her head away disdainfully.

She clearly remembered what Papa said—that it was this chubby aunt who gave her snacks and made her gain weight!

Gu Xingyi also chuckled a couple of times. This kind of family moment really warmed his heart. He stepped forward, took Xia Xiyao’s hand, and smiled.

“Wifey, wait for me a bit. Since we’re leaving, I should at least say goodbye to a few people. Once I’ve done that, I’ll take you home and we’ll lay low and grow strong!”

“Mm~”

Xia Xiyao’s cheeks flushed slightly when he held her hand, and a sweet feeling rose in her heart. She softly responded. No matter what Gu Xingyi planned to do, she trusted his decisions completely.

After speaking, Gu Xingyi looked up and nodded to Yun jie and Tao Lele.

The heavy mood in Yun jie and Tao Lele’s hearts also lightened a bit from Gu Xingyi’s easygoing and humorous presence, and both of them smiled.

He followed the familiar path back to Yang Chenglin’s office. A touch of sentiment welled up in Gu Xingyi’s heart. The last time he came here still lingered vividly in his memory, yet this return marked the moment they would go their separate ways.

Without thinking too much, Gu Xingyi knocked on the door. From inside came Yang Chenglin’s familiar voice. He pushed the door open and entered.

“Deputy Director Yang, long time no see!”

Yang Chenglin, who had been immersed in work, froze for a moment when she heard the voice. She looked up and saw Gu Xingyi’s gentle smile—just like when she’d met him at the station.

A gentleman as graceful as jade, unmatched in the world—that must be what they meant by such words.

Unfortunately, fate had never been on her side. Meeting the wrong person at the wrong time—what else could she do but smile and let it go?

Yang Chenglin smiled, lifted her gaze, and looked straight at the man now sitting before her.

“I figured you’d come right away, but I didn’t think it would be this fast. Yes, it’s been a long time, Mr. Gu.”

Gu Xingyi shrugged, looking helpless.

“My wife’s in trouble—of course I, as her husband, have to be proactive. Let’s get down to business. You probably already know why I’m here. Since your side breached the contract, I’ll be taking Xia Xiyao with me~”

“I could only find you in the HR department, hope you don’t mind~ Sorry for the hassle with the contract.”

Yang Chenglin put away the documents on her desk and nodded.

“It’s no trouble. I was the one who brought you into the company in the first place, so it’s only right that I handle your departure. But... my father would like to meet with you. Would that be alright?”

“Of course. It’s a good thing if Chairman Yang wants to see me. Let’s head over now? We’ve still got to pack and head home this afternoon.”

Gu Xingyi agreed to the meeting without hesitation.

He still had a good impression of Yinhai Entertainment. As for the decisions the company made, he could understand. After all, no company would go up against another company just for the sake of one employee.

“Alright! Let’s go now.”

Yang Chenglin didn’t delay and took the lead walking toward the door. Gu Xingyi stood up and followed behind.

The two walked one behind the other without much conversation. Compared to when they first met, their relationship now felt even more distant.

They arrived at the chairman’s office. Yang Xian seemed to have been waiting there already. When he saw Gu Xingyi, he wasn’t surprised at all. Instead, he poured a cup of tea and placed it in front of him.

“Xiao Gu~ you’re here. Come, have some tea.”

Gu Xingyi sat down and took a gentle sip, a smile appearing on his face.

“Chairman Yang, you’re too kind. I should be the one thanking you for taking such good care of my wife during this time. Truly, thank you!”

Yang Xian smiled as well. Looking at Gu Xingyi, who still looked the same as before, he couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional.

“Then I’ll accept that thanks. I didn’t expect we’d be parting ways so soon. It’s our failure that we couldn’t keep Xia Xiyao. But I suppose you’ve achieved your goal, haven’t you?”

Gu Xingyi met Yang Xian’s gaze. Both men, as cunning as foxes, shared a knowing smile.

“Chairman Yang, you’ve got me wrong. I genuinely wanted Xia Xiyao to join your company back then. There were no other motives.”

Gu Xingyi spoke honestly. Back then, he truly thought it’d be wise for Xia Xiyao to rely on a powerful backing like theirs. But what he hadn’t considered was the depth of his background from the original world. That background made him seem both incredibly talented and dangerously threatening in others’ eyes.

It wasn’t until that phone call with Old Master Lin that he had a moment of clarity. That was when he started thinking: if even a giant like Yinhai Entertainment couldn’t shield them from the pressure of that original background, what then?

Fortunately, he had already figured out a solution. It still came back to what Old Master Lin said—people with talent shouldn’t be too modest!

Yang Xian just smiled at Gu Xingyi’s words without commenting. He took out Xia Xiyao’s contract and placed it on the table before continuing.

“The contract is right here. From this moment forward, Xia Xiyao has no ties with our company. The rights to those few songs are also fully in her hands. All I can say is, Yinhai Entertainment basically worked for you for free this time!”

“All we got from Huayin was a good reputation. But you, kid, made a fortune!”

Yang Xian pushed the contract over to Gu Xingyi, shaking his head with a seemingly helpless expression.

Seeing this, Gu Xingyi paused in thought and then reached out a hand.

“Five songs. I’ll write five original songs for Yinhai Entertainment free of charge. Just let me know who you want them for, Chairman Yang.”

This was his way of repaying Yinhai Entertainment. Those who treat others sincerely will, in turn, be treated with sincerity.

Even after providing resources to Xia Xiyao, Yinhai Entertainment had never once asked Gu Xingyi for a single song. That was their sincerity, their goodwill.

Gu Xingyi’s return gift of five songs was both a token of gratitude for the care they had shown Xia Xiyao, and an olive branch extended to Yinhai Entertainment.