The three walked until they reached a quieter place with fewer people around. Only then did the two young men release Gu Xingyi’s arms, staring at him excitedly.

Gu Xingyi smiled knowingly, removing his mask to reveal his handsome face that was already well-known to the public, then extended his hand.

“Hello, allow me to formally introduce myself. I’m Gu Xingyi.”

Seeing that it truly was Gu Xingyi standing right in front of them, their expressions grew even more astonished and delighted. The taller guy with glasses on the left hurriedly wiped his hand on his clothes and enthusiastically grasped Gu Xingyi’s hand.

“Hello! Hello! I can't believe it's really you! My name is Feng Xiaoxiao. I'm so happy to meet you! Seriously, this feels just like a dream.”

Feng Xiaoxiao grinned so widely that the corners of his mouth nearly reached his ears.

He never imagined that just a few days ago, they were drinking and listening to songs written by Gu Xingyi, and at the time, he had enviously joked that if Gu Xingyi could write a song for them, they'd be laughing even in their dreams.

Who would have thought they’d actually meet the living Gu Xingyi today—and he was standing right in front of them!

Upon hearing Feng Xiaoxiao’s introduction, the corner of Gu Xingyi’s mouth twitched slightly. He turned to look at the shorter young man, the one who had sung "A Lifetime with You".

“Your name wouldn’t happen to be Yi Shuihan, would it?”

The young man froze in surprise, eyes widening even further.

“You… How do you know that?!”

Oh, great! Feng Xiaoxiao and Yi Shuihan—what a pairing!

Could their parents also be transmigrators? Gu Xingyi wondered to himself because he knew that phrase didn't exist in this world's history.

“All right, Feng Xiaoxiao, Yi Shuihan, I’m extending the invitation again. Would you like to join my company? Although my company hasn’t officially started yet, and I can’t promise you anything about the future right now, I can at least guarantee you conditions equal to those offered by other entertainment companies—and of course, songs suitable for you both!”

Gu Xingyi genuinely appreciated their talent. He’d listened carefully to their earlier performance and believed their singing skills weren’t inferior to those of popular singers.

Besides, their names gave him an unexpected sense of familiarity, as if encountering fellow townsmen.

Feng Xiaoxiao and Yi Shuihan exchanged a quick glance, then turned back to Gu Xingyi and nodded firmly without any hesitation.

“We’ll join! If we had known it was you, we wouldn't have rejected earlier! In the current music scene, if there's anyone we admire the most, it’s definitely you, Gu Xingyi!”

Yi Shuihan scratched his head, a little embarrassed, and continued.

“Actually, you're also our idol. A few days ago, when we were drinking, we even talked about you, saying that we'd be satisfied just to have one song written by you!”

Feng Xiaoxiao laughed lightly, excitement mixed with some melancholy on his face.

“After graduation, the two of us left home to chase our dreams. We've struggled all these years, going from place to place, but never got a chance to fulfill our dreams. Coming from ordinary families, entering the entertainment industry is too difficult. We basically saw no hope.”

At this point, Feng Xiaoxiao's face broke into an even brighter smile.

“Meeting you is the closest we've ever been to our dreams. Even if you hadn’t invited us, we would definitely have chased after you, begging you to take us in! We promise we’ll work our hardest!”

Seeing these sincere faces before him, Gu Xingyi felt moved.

Even though he was the one inviting them, they were the ones feeling so grateful. This was the reality of the entertainment industry—without fame, even talented people were easily buried. These talented singers at the bottom would give their absolute best whenever a tiny opportunity arose.

“Great! Let’s exchange contact information first! When the company is officially established, I’ll get in touch, and you two can report directly there!”

Gu Xingyi spoke seriously, taking out his phone and exchanging numbers and adding them on WeChat.

The two young men were visibly excited, their hands trembling slightly as they held their phones, but the smiles on their faces grew brighter and brighter.

After exchanging contact information and chatting a bit more, Gu Xingyi finally departed. Everything else would wait until Xingyao Entertainment was officially established. It wouldn’t take long—once Huayang's program aired and Xia Xiyao's album was released, Xingyao Entertainment would officially enter this world!

He hadn't walked far before Gu Xingyi overheard Feng Xiaoxiao calling home. The words, "Mom! I've found a company!" almost brought tears to Gu Xingyi’s eyes.

Gu Xingyi deeply understood this feeling. In his previous life, after graduation, he'd also struggled for years before gaining any recognition.

He still vividly remembered the excitement when his first song was recognized by others. Unfortunately, at that time, he had no one to share it with. He had simply celebrated alone, buying himself a small cake.

When he returned home, it was already getting dark. Tao Lele and Yun-jie had already left.

Under the warm, cozy glow of the orange lights, Xiao Nainai was nestled on the sofa playing with her toys. Hearing the door open, she raised her little head and her eyes curved into happy crescents.

“Daddy’s home!”

“Yep~ Daddy’s home! What’s Nainai playing?”

Gu Xingyi responded warmly, quickly stepping to the sofa and scooping the little girl into his arms.

“Nainai is playing with the puzzle Fat Uncle gave me~ Daddy, hurry and help Nainai finish it. Mommy said we can eat only after finishing the puzzle!”

“Alright! Let's do our best!”

Smiling, Gu Xingyi lifted Xiao Nainai, placed her gently back onto the sofa, and started working on the puzzle together with her.

Xia Xiyao emerged from the kitchen at that moment, carrying steaming dishes. Her eyes also curved beautifully as she placed the dishes on the table, looking affectionately at the father-daughter pair on the sofa.

She hadn't seen this scene for such a long time, yet no matter how often she saw it, she never grew tired of it.

Gu Xingyi’s heart was filled with warmth too. The lonely feeling he'd felt earlier in the afternoon was completely gone. In this life, he had family!

The gentle moonlight bathed their small home, filled with cheerful laughter.

…

The night passed peacefully.

The next day finally arrived—the moment Huayang would broadcast "Chasing Dreams with a Pure Heart."

Even though it had only been one day, promotional content had already flooded every platform, and the top trending topic on Weibo was blazing hot.

Netizens had been eagerly awaiting this moment, discussing fervently online long beforehand.

"Gather around! Gather around! Produced by Central Mama and Xingyao! A must-see!"

"Sigh~ I'm not even done with 'Counterattack' yet, and now there's 'Chasing Dreams with a Pure Heart.' My ears are happier than me!"

"The commenter above—are you showing off? Too many good songs now? Fine, don’t listen then! Haha!"

"Hmm? Didn't someone say they were going to ban Xia Xiyao? Where's that energy now?"

"Forget about them! Give them ten times their guts! I'm right here—let's see who dares! Yesterday, Tianmei's and Shengshi's official accounts got completely flooded!"

Unlike the lively netizens, those entertainment companies could only watch helplessly, not daring to make a move.

In just one day, the trending topics had once again been dominated by Gu Xingyi and Huayang. Everyone knew exactly who Gu Xingyi was standing up for, yet no one could do anything about it.

What could they do? He had Central Mama backing him!

At eight o'clock in the evening, the long-awaited moment finally arrived, and Huayang’s program officially aired.

Everyone eagerly waiting immediately clicked on the Huayang channel. The next second, they saw a young student at a desk piled high with textbooks.

In the scorching heat of summer, the fan blew steadily, yet sweat continuously dripped down his youthful face. He raised his head—beside the blackboard was the countdown to the college entrance exam.

Music began playing, and then the singing started:

   "Where exactly is that flower-filled world?
    If it really exists, then I must go!
    I want to stand atop the highest peak,
    Regardless if it’s on cliffs steep!"