Five songs?

Yang Xian pondered for a moment. That was pretty much in line with his expectations. After all, how many songs had Gu Xingyi released up to now? All they had done was provide Xia Xiyao with a platform, and in return, they were getting five songs—that was already more than enough.

“Alright! Xiao Gu, you said it yourself. I won’t hold back when the time comes then, haha!”

Yang Xian laughed as he stood up and shook Gu Xingyi’s hand.

Yang Chenglin stood to the side, watching these two sly old foxes exchanging polite barbs, and felt that she was still far too green. Only now did she realize that negotiations could be handled like this.

Neither of them said anything outright, yet both fully understood each other’s intent.

After chatting with Yang Xian a while longer, Gu Xingyi got up to leave. The goal of his visit had already been achieved, and there was no need to linger.

Back on the sixteenth floor, in Xia Xiyao’s private lounge, the girls had already packed up their things.

They knew that if Gu Xingyi said he was taking Xia Xiyao home, he had definitely already made follow-up arrangements. Still, before leaving, the three of them looked around the luxurious lounge one last time with some reluctance.

When they first arrived, they had really taken a liking to this place. Who would’ve thought they’d be leaving after only a few uses?

Seeing their reluctant expressions, Gu Xingyi scratched his head but didn’t say much.

Rather than making empty promises now, he preferred to let his future actions speak louder. He believed in himself—he would definitely give them an even better lounge in time.

Leaving Yinhai Entertainment, they headed to the artists’ apartment. With large and small luggage bags, two cars were packed to the brim. After finishing the handover with Yang Chenglin, the group finally hit the road toward Jiangcheng.

This trip to Modu had felt like a dream for Xia Xiyao and the others. The last time they arrived, full of ambition, still felt like yesterday. And now, in the blink of an eye, they were already heading back.

Looking out the car window at the scenery flying by, Tao Lele felt a bit emotional. She turned back to look at Yun jie, who was driving.

“Yun jie, what do you think Gu Xingyi will do next?”

Yun jie shook her head, but a faint smile appeared on her face.

“I’m not sure, but I believe he’ll figure something out. Just like when he came to find me at the hospital. I can see a kind of confidence in him that others don’t have.”

Tao Lele nodded, half-understanding, and turned back to look out the window. She’d also realized something—she didn’t even know when it had started, but the Gu Xingyi she used to dislike had somehow become the pillar everyone now leaned on.

By the time they arrived in Jiangcheng, night had already fallen.

Tao Lele would be staying over at Yun jie’s place for the night. After agreeing to meet at Gu Xingyi’s house the next day, they parted ways.

Back home, little Xiao Nainai was full of energy in her mama’s arms. Even though it was already past seven in the evening, she showed no signs of sleepiness and refused to leave Xia Xiyao’s embrace.

Ever since she started kindergarten, she had developed a good routine. Normally, this was the time Gu Xingyi would tell her bedtime stories to coax her to sleep.

But since tomorrow was Sunday—a day off—Gu Xingyi didn’t push her too much. The little family of three enjoyed a simple dinner together.

After the meal, under Xiao Nainai’s intense pleading, Gu Xingyi and Xia Xiyao had no choice but to cuddle up with her on the fluffy cloud-shaped couch and watch cartoons.

With Xia Xiyao and Xiao Nainai once again curled up on either side of him, Gu Xingyi couldn’t help but feel like the head of the household. His face beamed with joy.

Sure enough, nothing beats being together as a family. When it was just him and Xiao Nainai, life always felt like something was missing.

Under the warm lighting, the cozy little living room echoed with Xiao Nainai’s delighted giggles. Paired with the lively sounds of the cartoon playing in the background, the small home was wrapped in an increasingly rich atmosphere of happiness.

After watching two episodes of cartoons, Xiao Nainai, still not satisfied, was dragged off by Xia Xiyao to wash up. Gu Xingyi smiled, stretched lazily, and turned off the TV.

Once Xia Xiyao and Xiao Nainai finished washing up and returned to the bedroom, he also took a shower. Feeling content, he climbed into bed and began telling a fairy tale to the big one and the little one. Before long, Xiao Nainai had fallen asleep to the story.

Gu Xingyi carefully turned off the light and lay down, ready to sleep. But not long after, a warm, soft body slid across the sleeping Xiao Nainai and slipped into his arms.

!!!

Gu Xingyi’s sleepiness vanished in an instant. He looked down and gently pinched Xia Xiyao’s soft, round cheek.

Mmm… she feels even better than before!

In the darkness, he could hear Xia Xiyao’s slightly quickened breathing and heartbeat. The next moment, he closed his eyes and kissed her lips.

“Mm~...”

Xia Xiyao let out a soft sound. Her body stiffened slightly for a moment, then melted into his embrace.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder—at this moment, both of them were completely lost in each other.

Only after a long time did their lips part. Xia Xiyao, breathing heavily, propped herself up with her hands on Gu Xingyi’s chest. Still slightly annoyed, she pushed away the mischievous hand that was roaming her body and whispered,

“Not now… we’ll wake Nainai.”

Gu Xingyi was struggling too—his throat felt dry. He swallowed hard, suppressing the restlessness in his heart.

“I know… I’ll go take another shower.”

Taking a deep breath, he gently rolled out of bed and darted out of the room.

If he stayed any longer, he wouldn't be able to control himself. Xia Xiyao like this was just too tempting.

Looks like—getting Xiao Nainai her own room needed to happen ASAP!

He took a cold shower seriously, washing himself clean of all worldly desires. Late September weather wasn’t that warm anymore—especially at night. Now, Gu Xingyi just felt cold, with no other thoughts left in his mind.

He slipped back under the covers and pulled Xia Xiyao into his arms. This time, neither of them made any more moves.

Outside, the night was deep. Inside, the two of them held each other as they drifted into a peaceful sleep.

After one night, there were no more doubts.

The next day, not only did Yun-jie and Tao Lele arrive at Gu Xingyi’s home, but even Chen Feng was called over.

This marked Chen Feng’s first formal meeting with the others.

But this meeting clearly wasn’t going as peacefully as Gu Xingyi had imagined.

Right now, inside the room, Tao Lele and Chen Feng were locked in a fierce staring match, both glaring daggers at each other. Between them sat the innocent Xiao Nainai, blinking her big eyes in confusion. She didn’t understand why this uncle and aunt were arguing.

“I was here first! I should be the one taking care of Nainai!”

Though Tao Lele was smaller in both height and build compared to Chen Feng, she didn’t lose an ounce of momentum. Holding one of Nainai’s little hands, she glared at Chen Feng furiously.

“So what if you came first? That doesn’t mean you get to take her! Nainai clearly likes my gift! Look, she’s still holding the toy I gave her! What do you have?”

Chen Feng looked down on Tao Lele smugly, a mischievous grin on his face that made her want to punch him on the spot.

“Alright, alright! I didn’t bring you both here to argue! And for the record—Nainai isn’t yours! She’s mine!”

Gu Xingyi rubbed his temples in frustration and scooped Xiao Nainai into his arms.

Immediately, both of them turned to glare at Gu Xingyi.

This guy! So annoying!