What does that mean?
He just sat down, and now he's trying to kick her out?
How impatient could he be?
Yang Yi's blunt words made Murphy's expression instantly turn cold, completely masking the disappointment and grievance in her heart.
She stood up, her calm, unruffled eyes meeting Yang Yi's gaze. Though she was a head shorter than him, her presence gradually began to overpower his.
In that moment, the ice queen revealed the aloof side she usually kept hidden.
"Fine, I should go!" Murphy said indifferently. "Take good care of my daughter."
Xixi, hearing the commotion, quickly lifted her little head. Pouting, she said unhappily, "Mommy lied! You said you'd eat with Xixi!"
Murphy looked at her daughter, and a trace of tenderness slowly returned to her eyes. She reached out to tap the little one's upturned nose, forcing a faint smile. "Mommy has a lot of work to do. You need to behave at your dad's place."
Xixi sulked, puffing out her cheeks, and turned her head away in displeasure.
"Don't worry, I can take good care of her!" Yang Yi waved his hand, speaking with confidence.
Stung by Yang Yi's attitude, Murphy had no mood left to coax her daughter. Without lingering, she turned, grabbed her bag, and headed out.
Yang Yi hesitated for a moment but still followed to see her to the door.
However, after stepping outside, Murphy reached the spot where she'd earlier seen Yang Yi emerge disheveled from the stairwell. The bitter mix of emotions surged back into her heart. Silently sighing to herself, she turned around.
Facing Yang Yi's surprised look, she pulled out her wallet from her bag, unzipped it, and without counting, took out a stack of cash—at least ten thousand yuan—and held it out to him.
"What's this?" Yang Yi didn't take it, frowning as he asked.
"Take it! Xixi will be here for a few days. Use it to get her some good food." Murphy pressed her lips together, her tone a bit stiff.
Clearly, Xixi staying with Yang Yi for two days wouldn't cost nearly that much.
But Yang Yi wasn't appreciative. In fact, taking money from Murphy felt awkward. In this life or his past one, no matter how down-and-out he'd been, he'd never accepted a single cent from a woman.
Besides, when it came to money, Yang Yi still had nearly two million in the duffel bag under his bed! Why would he need a woman's money?
"No, I don't want it. I'm not some kept man!" Yang Yi pulled his hands back.
Murphy was so furious she could faint. Her full chest heaved violently, and her white teeth bit into her bright lips as she said, word by word, "This is for you—to take care of Xixi!"
She knew he was as stubborn as a mule, which was why she'd used Xixi as an excuse to give him money. But who knew his pride would still be this strong?
Broke as a joke, and he still cared about face?
"I have money!" Yang Yi said matter-of-factly, repeating himself to make sure she believed him. "I really do have money!"
If only the source of that two million weren't so hard to explain, Yang Yi would have loved to pull it out to prove his "innocence."
But how could Murphy believe him? Her mind was stuck on the image of Yang Yi hauling bricks, using his blood and sweat to spoil Xixi. It was touching, in a way.
After a brief argument, Murphy ultimately failed to force the money on Yang Yi. Trembling with rage, she turned and stormed off.
...
There was a deep rift between Yang Yi and Murphy, and perhaps due to his initial prejudice, Yang Yi had no intention of mending things. After seeing Murphy off, he couldn't wait to get back home—Xixi was his true treasure!
For lunch, Yang Yi cooked for Xixi, making crystal-clear vegetable dumplings with juicy, savory fillings. Biting through the thin, tender cabbage revealed a finely minced mix of mushrooms and pork, which even the picky little one, who didn't like veggies, found irresistible.
After a short nap, Yang Yi took Xixi to the coffee shop's small building.
"From now on, Dad's moving here!" Yang Yi excitedly showed off to his daughter, acting like a big kid himself. "Xixi, do you think it looks nice here?"
Xixi hadn't been out to play with her mom in a while, so she was thrilled just to be there. Carefully holding up her little white dress, she hopped around in her crystal sandals on the green grass in front of the building.
The little one's laughter, like silver bells, mingled with the butterflies fluttering among the flowers, drifting gently in the spring breeze and adding charm to the scene.
Hearing her dad's words, the little girl ran over excitedly, her big eyes full of hope as she blinked. "Really? Daddy, this is going to be Daddy's home?"
Yang Yi smiled softly, reaching out to ruffle Xixi's soft black hair, correcting her, "It's our home—Daddy and Xixi's!"
"What about Mommy? Can Mommy live here too?" Xixi pointed at the blooming flower beds outside, saying innocently, "Mommy loves flowers. If she sees them every day, she won't be so grumpy!"
Yang Yi paused, looking at Xixi's hopeful face, and his heart softened. "Of course, if she wants to."
He didn't think Murphy would want to live here. Setting aside their rocky relationship, her obsession with her singing career meant the more entertainment-driven Binhai District suited her better.
Plus, from a practical standpoint, living in Binhai District was far more convenient than Tingshan District. Murphy would inevitably be flying around constantly, and Binhai had a major airport serving domestic routes, while Tingshan didn't even have a basic train station.
Of course, Yang Yi wasn't rejecting Murphy. If she wanted to come, he wouldn't mind.
The old man had "rented" him a decent-sized villa. Not counting the front garden—which was originally a yard with the walls torn down—it covered over 300 square meters.
And Yang Yi had no plans to use the second-floor living space for business. With such a spacious home, why worry about not having a room for Murphy?
Xixi, however, was overjoyed by her dad's words. After asking to be picked up, she planted a sweet kiss on his cheek. "Daddy, you're the best!"
He hadn't even done anything, and he was getting praised by his daughter?
And rewarded with a soft, fragrant kiss—Yang Yi was a bit speechless.
It felt like achieving greatness in the assassin world and then going back to kindergarten for a gold star—a strange feeling.
Still, for Yang Yi, it was pretty satisfying. His daughter's approval made him beam with pride, a genuine smile spreading across his rugged face.
"Come on! Dad'll show you your room!" Yang Yi jingled the keys in his hand, laughing boldly. "Pick whichever one you like, Xixi!"
"No, I don't want that! I want to sleep with Daddy! I want Daddy to tell me stories~"