Xixi pestered him for a gift, so Guo Ziyi had to set down the admission letter and take out the birthday present he had prepared for her.
Xixi had already become a little expert at unwrapping gifts. With nimble movements, she tore off the wrapping paper and ribbons in no time!
Opening the box, a small cartoon pillow was revealed. The cartoon character on it was a little girl with blue eyes, blue hair, and a white flower crown, with tiny hands and feet and a big head—adorable!
As soon as Xixi saw it, she cheered happily: "It's Rem!"
Rem was a cartoon character from the currently most popular animated series in this world, *Roswaal*. It wasn't that the plot was particularly thrilling, but it used a never-before-seen art style that made the whole animation incredibly endearing!
Yang Yi had seen plenty of similar art styles in his past life and wasn't interested in this show, but Xixi loved it!
"Hehe, I knew Xixi would like it!" Guo Ziyi said with a grin. "I asked my little sister, and she said her favorite right now is this Rem!"
"You have a little sister?" Yang Yi asked in surprise.
"Yeah! But she's already twelve," Guo Ziyi said, scratching his head sheepishly. "But girls probably like similar things, so I think I picked the right gift!"
Yang Yi watched his daughter hugging the little "Rem" pillow tightly, looking delighted, and felt a bit jealous. He said seriously to Guo Ziyi, "But Xixi still likes her dad's gift the most!"
Guo Ziyi looked a bit confused and scratched his head. "Alright..."
Whatever makes you happy.
While Xixi was fiddling with the pillow, figuring out how to play with it, Yang Yi glanced at Guo Ziyi's admission letter. He looked up, puzzled, and asked, "Electronic Media major? Do you like this major?"
Guo Ziyi shook his head.
"Then why did you choose it?" Yang Yi asked, even more confused.
Guo Ziyi chuckled. "Brother Yang, didn't I tell you before? I got into Jiangcheng Media University to come back and audit the acting department's classes!"
Then he could prove himself—prove that he wasn't what those examiners who looked down on him thought: that being chubby and young meant he couldn't be an actor!
Guo Ziyi didn't repeat the words they both already understood. It seemed the grounding had had some effect.
"Anyway, my grades are good. Jiangcheng Media University lets me pick any major except those requiring art exam scores, so I chose the one with the highest admission cutoff!" Guo Ziyi said with a hint of pride.
Well, Yang Yi had thought there was some deeper meaning behind Guo Ziyi's choice.
Guo Ziyi patted his chubby thigh, as if remembering something, and laughed. "Oh, Brother Yang, let me tell you something funny!"
"Hmm?" Yang Yi felt like this guy had been cooped up too long and was about to start rambling again.
"So, my dad grounded me and wouldn't let me go out, right?" Guo Ziyi said enthusiastically. "I was so bored I had to find books to read at home. Guess what I found?"
Without waiting for Yang Yi to guess, Guo Ziyi burst out laughing. "I found a book on my dad's shelf called *Bright Sword*. The content was pretty good, but guess what?"
"..."
"Its author is also named Yang Yi!" Guo Ziyi laughed so hard he doubled over. "Let me tell you, my dad really likes that book. So one day I said to him, 'Dad, I have a friend named Yang Yi too! Want me to ask him for an autograph?'"
"..." Yang Yi remained speechless.
"I said, 'If Yang Yi gives you an autograph, can you lift my grounding?'" Guo Ziyi told this as a joke to Yang Yi. "And my dad just slapped me and said, 'You're always messing around, thinking about useless stuff and doing pointless things. You think a brat like you could know a great writer like Yang Yi?'"
"Haha, Brother Yang, isn't it a coincidence? There's actually a writer with the same name as you!" Guo Ziyi expected Yang Yi to find it just as unbelievable and amusing.
But Yang Yi just stared at him silently for a long time before reaching out his hand. "Hand it over!"
"Hand what over?" Guo Ziyi was confused.
"Hand over the book for me to sign!" Yang Yi said seriously.
"???" The chubby guy was full of question marks.
A moment later, he realized and pointed at Yang Yi in shock. "Brother Yang, you're actually Yang Yi?"
Xixi, catching only half the conversation, ran over and said disdainfully, "Hmph, Uncle Guo, you're so useless. You don't even know my daddy's name is Yang Yi! I'm only three and I knew that!"
"You're four," Yang Yi corrected with a smile.
The frustrated chubby guy looked at Xixi, who was acting like a little adult, and sighed helplessly. But he still stared at Yang Yi in amazement. "Brother Yang, are you really the author of *Bright Sword*?"
Yang Yi smiled faintly. "As real as it gets."
"Oh my god, I actually know a famous writer!" Guo Ziyi grabbed Yang Yi's hand excitedly. "That's amazing! I thought it was just a coincidence!"
Yang Yi pushed him away in disgust. "Get lost. If you want an autograph, bring the book. I've never signed one for anyone before!"
"Forget the autograph," Guo Ziyi said with a cheeky grin. "If your *Bright Sword* ever gets made into a movie, can you give me a role?"
"What role?"
"I think I'm a lot like Li Yunlong," Guo Ziyi said shamelessly, grinning.
"Get lost!"
"Then how about Chu Yunfei? I think Chu Yunfei is about half as handsome as me..."
"Get farther away!"
"What about Zhao Gang? He's a major supporting role!"
"Go as far as your mind can take you!"
"Or how about Sister Xiuqin? I could cross-dress, stand on the city wall with dignity, and die a heroic death!"
"You can say that? Go die!" Yang Yi felt he could never face that character again. "With your chubby look, you'd be better off playing a traitor!"
"A traitor works too! Does he have a lot of screen time? I could play a traitor leading the way, a traitor forcing girls into prostitution, or even a traitor pretending to cooperate while actually being a spy!"
"Forget it! Whoever wants to make it, make it!"
Guo Ziyi didn't stay for dinner this time. He was short on time. As they parted, he said ambitiously, "Brother Yang, for the next half month, I'm going to the film base in the capital to be an extra. Wish me luck!"
The chubby guy was determined to carve out a path as an actor. Even though he was always joking around, he still had a clear plan.
Yang Yi didn't know how he had convinced his family to let him go alone to the chaotic capital to compete with all those aspiring extras for minor roles.
But Yang Yi admired his drive. He patted Guo Ziyi on the shoulder and said with a slight smile, "Go for it. Where there's a will, there's a way. Brother Yang believes you'll succeed!"
"And if I succeed, can I come back and ask for the lead role?"
"Get lost."