Murphy's personality was just that stubborn—once she set her mind on something, ten oxen couldn't pull her back!
Helpless, Mo Xiaojuan could only watch as Murphy sat down at her computer, opened the email, and began typing a reply.
In the email, Murphy told Mu Zi'ang that while she was very grateful for the song he had written for her, she was sorry but couldn't accept it, "because I already have someone I like," and she didn't want to give him false hope or waste his time.
"Sis, you can't write it like that—it's too blunt!" Mo Xiaojuan stopped Murphy's hand just as she was about to click send.
Murphy looked at Mo Xiaojuan in confusion and asked, "What's wrong with it?"
"You can't tell him you have someone you like!" Mo Xiaojuan said, rubbing her forehead in frustration. "What if he gets angry and leaks this letter to the media?"
Murphy frowned. If this were the Murphy who had just debuted, she would have said, "Impossible, how could people be that despicable?" But now, she understood the darkness of human nature.
"Then what do you think I should write?" Murphy gave up her seat, deciding to leave professional matters to the professional.
"Just say it's for personal reasons, you can't go into details..." Mo Xiaojuan skillfully revised it. Not just that line, but the entire email was overhauled—the wording was more appropriate, the tone more委婉, though the meaning remained the same.
Finally, Mo Xiaojuan looked at Murphy and asked, "Sis, are you sure you want to send this? Think it through! Once you send it, you might have to say goodbye to these great songs! And your new album will be ruined!"
"Send it!" Murphy was resolute, unwavering in her decision.
Alright, Mo Xiaojuan clicked the send button. Watching the email go out, Murphy let out a sigh of relief, as if a weight she had been carrying had finally been lifted.
But as she returned to the sofa and sat down, Murphy looked at the sheet music scattered messily on the coffee table. She gathered them up, carefully folded them, and tucked them into a folder.
Maybe she'd practice them someday, but these songs no longer belonged to her... A hint of sadness flickered in Murphy's clear eyes.
"Can't bear to part with them, huh?" Mo Xiaojuan came over and massaged her cousin's shoulders, laughing. "And you were so firm just now!"
Murphy shot her a glare and said irritably, "What do you mean 'can't bear to part'? Am I the type who can't let go? Hurry up and book me a return ticket for the day after tomorrow!"
That afternoon, Murphy was heading to the capital to record a variety show over two days. But according to her own plan, after this business trip, she would take half a month off to spend time with her daughter.
Although Niu Meiling had become more calculating in recent years, she didn't want to fall out with Murphy. She still kindly approved Murphy's long vacation. After all, some newcomers in the company or trainees in the practice room didn't have such good treatment—they didn't even get vacations!
After scolding Mo Xiaojuan, Murphy herself felt relieved. She glanced back at the computer where she had sent the email and thought to herself, "Maybe this is for the best! Don't try to take shortcuts. What's yours will be yours; what's not, Murphy, you can't take it!"
...
Meanwhile, Yang Yi, the instigator of all this, had no idea what was happening. After sending the email, he tossed the computer aside. Just like how Qiangzi couldn't reach Yang Yi unless he called, this guy only logged into social media or his email when he needed something.
When would Yang Yi see Murphy's email? That was still unknown. Right now, Yang Yi was in the coffee shop, playing with his daughter!
"By the way, when Wukong wanted a handy weapon, he went to the Dragon Palace of the East Sea. Xi Xi, do you know what the sea is?" Yang Yi gestured. "It's huge, very blue, and full of water!"
The little one had become obsessed with the monkey born from a stone after hearing a segment of *Journey to the West* yesterday. She had been pestering her dad all day to continue the monkey's story, even refusing to watch her favorite cartoons!
With nothing else to do and no customers in the coffee shop around noon, Yang Yi told his daughter another part of the story.
"I've seen the sea! It's really, really big!" Xi Xi raised her little hand and said seriously. "To go to grandma's house, we have to fly on a plane for a long, long time! And below is all sea. Mommy said there are big fish in it!"
"Yes, Sun Wukong went into the sea to find the Dragon King and ask for a weapon that suited him!" Yang Yi said.
But Xi Xi was puzzled. She asked, "Why can he go into the sea? Mommy said the sea is very scary! Xi Xi can't play in the sea."
"Of course Xi Xi can't play in the sea, because Xi Xi hasn't learned to swim yet. But Sun Wukong can!" Yang Yi explained with a smile.
"Oh! You have to learn to swim!" Xi Xi nodded, half-understanding.
A little while later, Yang Yi finally got to the part where Sun Wukong caused a ruckus in the Dragon Palace and obtained its treasure, the Ruyi Jingu Bang!
"It was a huge, thick stick, but Sun Wukong could make it smaller, about the size of the stick in Daddy's hand!" Yang Yi got excited and even took apart the mop, holding just the handle.
Xi Xi eagerly ran over and asked her dad to let her play with it. Of course, she could grab it with both hands, but she couldn't swing the long handle since she was still too small.
"This Golden Cudgel weighs thirteen thousand five hundred pounds! Even when it's small, the weight doesn't change! It's about as heavy as two or three of Daddy's cars!" Yang Yi said. "But it fit Sun Wukong perfectly. He grabbed it and started swinging it wildly."
At first, Xi Xi was thinking about how heavy two or three cars were, but soon, the little girl's attention was completely captured by her dad's performance.
Yang Yi, mop handle in hand, struck a pose like he was leaning on a staff and looking at the moon, then stepped back. He slapped the stick toward the ground but hooked it midair with his heel like stopping a soccer ball, balancing it perfectly in the air!
Then, with a flick of his toe, the stick bounced up into the air. He caught it with his left hand at the middle, and with just his fingers and wrist, the stick spun like a windmill!
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!" The hollow stick created afterimages and a whistling wind sound!
"Wow!" Xi Xi gasped repeatedly, her big eyes not blinking, her little hands raised in the air as if she also had a stick, twisting unconsciously.
Yang Yi had never learned monkey-style acrobatics before, but he had always been a die-hard fan of Liu Xiao Ling Tong, so he had watched many of his performances. He couldn't mimic Liu's lively moves perfectly, but imitating them a bit to impress his daughter was no problem!
"And that's how Sun Wukong got his perfect weapon, and the Dragon King and his crab and shrimp soldiers were happy to see this troublemaker off!" Yang Yi stopped twirling the "Golden Cudgel" and finished the story.
But by then, the little girl had stopped caring about the story. Her eyes were full of little stars as she admired him, exclaiming, "Daddy is so amazing!"