Around 10 in the morning, Feng Xiaoxiao and Yi Shuihan arrived at the company. Gu Xingyi only made a brief appearance to greet them before handing them over to Yang Chenglin.

Professional matters needed to be handled by professionals. As someone inexperienced, Gu Xingyi was currently out with Xia Xiyao looking at houses in a nearby residential area.

In addition to preparing to rent a few artist apartments, they were also planning to move into a larger place themselves.

The artist apartments were quickly rented—fully furnished with uniform, high-end finishes.

The real estate agent, delighted to land such a big deal, wore a bright smile as he walked ahead of them, enthusiastically introducing the area.

"Mr. Gu, Ms. Xia, this is one of the most prestigious residential areas in the heart of Jiang City. The greenery in this complex is among the best in the entire district, and the amenities are complete, with excellent security and property management.

Not only that, as you can see, the transportation here is very convenient. If you don't feel like driving, there's a subway station just a short walk away. The surrounding commercial area is also quite developed—Yida Plaza, a major hub, is just nearby. Choosing to live here is definitely the right decision!"

Gu Xingyi nodded. He had researched all of this beforehand, which was exactly why he had chosen this location.

As they spoke, the agent led them into Building 8, through the entrance, and into the elevator.

The elevator went up to the 18th floor and stopped. The agent quickly stepped out and led Gu Xingyi and Xia Xiyao to a unit, inputting the passcode to unlock the door.

As the three of them entered, a faint scent of fresh renovations still lingered in the air. Passing through the entryway, they were greeted by a massive living room.

The apartment was furnished in a minimalist light-gray modern style.

At that moment, the agent continued his introduction.

"Mr. Gu, Ms. Xia, based on your preferences, this apartment should be perfect for you. It's a standard four-bedroom, two-living-room, two-bath layout. Simple, elegant—just take a look at this design, at those floor-to-ceiling windows. Honestly, if I had the money, even I'd be tempted."

Grinning from ear to ear, the agent showered the apartment with praise. Gu Xingyi chuckled and walked over to the huge balcony windows. Pulling aside the sheer gray curtains, he looked down—the view really was stunning.

He was quite satisfied with the place. When he turned around to look at Xia Xiyao, he saw the same hopeful expression in her eyes—it seemed she liked it too.

They toured the apartment once more, and when they reached the children's room, they made their decision—they were buying it.

The children's room was just too beautiful. Both of them were convinced that Xiao Nainai would absolutely love this little room.

After a quick discussion, Gu Xingyi began his signature price-haggling session with the agent. Only when both sides were smiling in satisfaction did they proceed with signing the contract.

Another big task completed. After bidding farewell to the agent, Gu Xingyi and Xia Xiyao drove back toward the company.

This time, surprisingly, Xia Xiyao was the one driving, while Gu Xingyi sat in the passenger seat with his eyes closed, resting.

Seeing the exhaustion on his face, Xia Xiyao pursed her lips. For the past half-month, she had watched him leave early and return late every day, working tirelessly. Even after coming home, he would lock himself in the study for a while, doing who knew what.

Seeing him like that made her heart ache. But no matter how she tried to persuade him, Gu Xingyi would just smile and say, "It's nothing."

Xia Xiyao felt that she had to do something. Otherwise, this dummy might keep pushing himself like this forever.

The car soon arrived at the parking lot beneath the company. As it came to a stop, Gu Xingyi, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them again. The familiar smile returned to his face.

The two got out of the car and walked into the company.

......

On the street nearby, inside an old, beat-up red car, a pair of eyes filled with madness stared fixedly at Gu Xingyi and Xia Xiyao as they entered the building.

Ever since she got out, she had been watching Xia Xiyao closely. She had made all the necessary preparations, but what she hadn't expected was that the entertainment industry would blacklist Xia Xiyao at this time.

Being blacklisted was a good thing! She wanted to see Xia Xiyao fall into ruin just like she had!

But she didn't get to be happy for long—Gu Xingyi showed up again! That man! Every single time, at the most critical moment, he would appear!

She hated him! Seeing Xia Xiyao so happy now made her hate her even more!

The current Xia Xiyao had become an obsession in her heart—a thorn lodged right at the core.

......

"Never thought the first event invitation our company would get would be for an awards ceremony!"

Back at the company, Gu Xingyi held the event invitation Yun-jie had handed him and smiled as he spoke.

At the end of October, the Hua Country New Song Chart Awards would be held at the Modu Music Hall. The ceremony was hosted by Huayin in collaboration with several major entertainment companies—a fairly prestigious event.

"This month's new song chart was basically all ours! Of course we'd get invited! I just wonder how many awards Xiyao-jie and brother-in-law will win!"

Tao Lele was still unwilling to part with her beloved giant sofa. She was curled up cross-legged on it, craning her neck to look at the invitation in Gu Xingyi's hand.

Gu Xingyi looked up and smiled.

"Honestly, winning or not doesn't matter much to us. This kind of award is really just a tool to raise a singer's market value, giving them leverage when negotiating contracts with agencies. But in our company, that kind of ‘value' means absolutely nothing."

"But regardless of the awards, showing our faces isn't a bad thing. Being visible in the public eye helps build trust, and it adds to our company's résumé too. After all, right now, our company still looks way too much like a shell operation!"

As Gu Xingyi finished speaking, everyone laughed. What kind of shell company looked like this? Just the 2,000 square meters of office space alone—what so-called shell company could afford that?

"Xiyao-jie, brother-in-law, you two don't have any formalwear for the ceremony yet! Usually, the outfits are sponsored by brand partners, but we don't have any sponsors yet!"

Tao Lele looked over at the two, still in casual outfits on the sofa, and added another jab.

Yun-jie, sitting at the edge of the sofa, rubbed Tao Lele's hair and turned to Gu Xingyi and Xia Xiyao.

"For the formalwear, let's just get custom outfits. We'll go to Yida Plaza this afternoon—they've got specialty tailoring shops there. We've still got time."

"Alright!"

Gu Xingyi agreed without hesitation.

And so, after lunch at the company, the group noisily piled into the elevator. Poor Gu Xingyi was surrounded by four women and felt like a flock of sparrows were chirping all around him.

As soon as Cheng Di heard they were going dress shopping, she joined in too.

And just like that, four women climbed into one car, leaving Gu Xingyi alone to drive another by himself.

The car in front merged onto the main road, with Gu Xingyi following closely behind.

But at that moment, a sudden roar of an engine shattered the calm. Gu Xingyi's eyes narrowed to slits almost instantly as he saw an old, battered red car in the distance accelerating wildly—racing straight toward the car carrying Xia Xiyao and the others.

In that instant, it felt like all the blood in Gu Xingyi's body froze. Instinctively, he slammed down on the gas pedal, and in a flash, swerved his car to block the red car's path.

A deafening crash erupted.

Gu Xingyi felt the world spin violently before him. Glass shards flew everywhere, and through the shattered window, he caught a blurry glimpse of a face—twisted in madness.

So it was her!

Liu Qian!

Gu Xingyi smiled. Even as blood poured from his mouth, he still smiled.

As long as he was here, no one would get past him to hurt her.