Murphy had a peculiar premonition—Yang Yi's call was for her!
But Xixi snatched the phone first. After answering, the little girl mischievously mimicked her mother's tone: "Hello, Yang Yi, what do you want from me?"
She even had the mannerisms down perfectly, though her voice remained a sweet, childish tone, which her father saw through immediately.
"Xixi..."
"No, I'm Mama!" The little one kept up the act but gave herself away.
"Xixi, Dad can tell it's you." On the other end of the line, Yang Yi said helplessly.
Xixi cracked herself up, giggling: "Ah, Dad, how did you figure it out?"
Without waiting for her father to explain, she chattered on: "Dad, Xixi misses you so much! Do you miss Xixi?"
Her voice was so syrupy sweet that Yang Yi couldn't help but crack a smile. He hummed in acknowledgment, "Of course..."
"Hehe, Dad, can Xixi come play at your house this weekend? Xixi drew lots of pretty pictures to show you..." Once the little girl started talking, there was no stopping her.
"Ahem, Xixi, could you hand the phone to your mom?" Yang Yi had to reluctantly interrupt her.
"Mmph~" Xixi pouted, whining unhappily, "Dad doesn't like Xixi anymore, you won't even talk to me!"
"Dad has something to discuss with your mom. Be good, give the phone to your mom." Yang Yi's head ached—kids' moods were so unpredictable, and he had no idea how to soothe her.
After a moment, Murphy took the phone from a reluctant Xixi, her brows slightly furrowed, her tone icy: "You're looking for me?"
She was already irritated by work matters.
But that tone sparked an inexplicable anger in Yang Yi.
"I saw the TV—someone seems to be smearing you?" Yang Yi held back, though his voice came out stiff. "Is it true?"
Yang Yi's concern warmed Murphy's heart, but she didn't want him meddling in the messy entertainment industry. She knew he'd despised it before.
Stubborn and strong-willed, she preferred to shoulder all her troubles alone.
Yet, when Murphy tried to reassure Yang Yi and tell him not to worry, the words twisted as they left her mouth: "So what? It's none of your business."
Harsh, like they were enemies. Yang Yi felt like smashing his phone.
Damn it, kindness repaid with spite—like a dog biting Lü Dongbin!
"You're Xixi's mother!" Yang Yi sneered in anger, his tone hostile. "That's why I wanted to help you..."
How? With Yang Yi's methods, he'd start by scaring them, and if that didn't work, he'd make that balding guy disappear! Still not fully adjusted to normal life, Yang Yi clung to his old habit of solving problems with violence.
But Murphy misunderstood. They'd clashed over similar issues before, so she snapped: "Enough, I don't need your fake concern. No matter how much people despise me, I won't quit the music scene, got it?"
With that, she slammed the phone down and sat in stony silence, her face like ice.
"Huh? Xixi still wanted to talk to Dad!" Xixi's big, watery eyes widened in surprise. She'd only been sulking at her dad earlier—kids' moods flared and faded fast, and hers had already passed.
Murphy's chest heaved with anger, but she didn't take it out on her daughter.
She gently patted the little girl's head and sighed: "Mom will take you to play with Dad this weekend. I don't want to talk to him right now."
"Okay then..." Xixi was quite well-behaved. Seeing her mother's tired face, she stood up on the bike seat and used her tiny fists to massage Murphy's shoulders. "Mama, I'll give you a massage."
"Thank you, Xixi's such a good girl." Murphy patted her head with relief.
Meanwhile, on the other end, Yang Yi was fuming over Murphy's inexplicable outburst.
"What the hell?" He tossed the phone aside and downed two big gulps of orange juice to cool off. "If it weren't for Xixi, I wouldn't lift a finger to help you even for two million! Now I'm groveling to offer help, and you snap at me?"
Yang Yi had forgotten that his former self had stubbornly insisted Murphy leave the entertainment industry to live a simple life with him! During the month they'd reunited, this issue had sparked many conflicts, so it was no wonder Murphy instinctively thought Yang Yi wanted her to quit because he saw the industry as dirty.
But with Yang Yi's proud nature—whether in his past life or this one—he wouldn't consider whether he'd said something wrong from Murphy's perspective.
"This woman is impossible!" Yang Yi decided to wash his hands of it.
He was still influenced by his former self's mindset, believing Murphy looked down on him—his rural roots, his lowly job, his lack of money.
Why else would she say "none of your business"?
Even though he wasn't the same person anymore, Yang Yi felt the sting and fumed: "Look down on me? I look down on you too!"
Forget it, forget her. Yang Yi happily gnawed on the slightly cooled ribs and thought about his own plans.
The coffee shop needed renovation, but nothing too drastic. He didn't want a modern-style café; the first floor's slightly vintage architecture already matched his vision.
Yang Yi planned to spend a month buying unique decorations, lights, and furniture to redecorate. Of course, he'd also need coffee beans. He'd looked into the beans in this world—they were mostly the same as in his past life—so he'd have to make a trip to Shanghai to buy some top-tier ones.
Expensive? Of course! But you can't put a price on what you love. Yang Yi figured even if he couldn't sell them, he'd enjoy them himself.
He'd also pick up some regular beans. Ordinary customers would get ordinary coffee, but if he met someone special or like-minded, he'd treat them to the best—free of charge!
Besides the coffee shop, Old Man Hu Songnan had reminded Yang Yi of one thing today.
Register the song's copyright!
Register copyright?
Yang Yi hadn't thought much of it at first, but after the old man's repeated urgings, he took it seriously.
His former self hadn't cared about such things. Before returning, Yang Yi had gone to an internet café to look up the relevant info. What he found shocked him: How strong was the copyright awareness in this world?
Not just songs, but books, inventions—anything created by people could be registered on the Copyright Association's website.
Once certified, the copyright was confirmed, and anyone else using it had to pay royalties!
Piracy rampant? Free sharing of resources online? Those chaos from his past life didn't exist here!
On one hand, people had developed a habit of respecting copyright; on the other, the deep-pocketed Copyright Association kept a tight watch. Anyone caught violating the rules faced consequences they couldn't afford!
Of course, legitimate records and books weren't priced exorbitantly—ordinary people could afford them. Thin profit margins didn't mean low income, because everyone pursued genuine products, and popular creators could even make it onto wealth rankings!
"This seems like a decent way to make money?" Yang Yi grew interested.
He'd originally planned to spend his two million and then "earn his keep" by meting out justice, but Yang Yi recoiled at the thought. Having finally gotten a chance at a normal life, he wanted to cut ties with his past self!