"Murphy, when will your new album officially be released?" "It's confirmed for May 14th." "Murphy, are you confident about this comeback?" "I've always been confident!" "Murphy, is there anything you want to say to the over three hundred fans here supporting you?" "Thank you for your support and patience... um, I won't let you down!" ...
Another commercial performance. Murphy sang a few of her classic old songs and one new track whose audio had already been released, then sat for an interview with reporters.
The reporters' questions lacked novelty, like the same old clichés, and Murphy repeated her answers over and over. Even though she wasn't prone to big emotional swings, keeping a faint smile plastered on her face all day left her muscles stiff and hard to maintain.
Exhausted, Murphy didn't return to her hotel until nearly midnight. She had no appetite for dinner, too tired even to feel hungry, and just wanted to lie in bed and rest.
Of course, Murphy couldn't sleep. She fished her phone out of her bag and dialed Yang Yi's number.
After a few rings, a deep male voice answered: "Hello?"
Hearing that emotionless tone of his, Murphy couldn't help but grit her teeth. The longing she'd felt before dialing vanished.
"It's me, Murphy." Her voice was equally cold, not wanting Yang Yi to sense her emotional state.
"I know. Xixi is asleep." On the other end in Jiangcheng, Yang Yi shifted his gaze from the computer screen and glanced at the night outside.
Murphy didn't usually call just to talk to him; he knew she typically had long phone chats with Xixi, the mother-daughter duo easing their mutual longing that way.
But hearing Yang Yi say that, Murphy felt as if he was blaming her for not calling earlier. She felt so wronged that she couldn't help muttering, "I can't help it either. I only just got back to the hotel now. I've been busy all day, and I'm dead tired!"
As the last syllable left her lips, Murphy herself froze, and her cheeks flushed involuntarily.
That sounded like whining!
But Yang Yi didn't seem to notice. Murphy secretly breathed a sigh of relief, though a faint pang of disappointment lingered.
On the other end, Yang Yi was silent for a moment before saying, "Is it necessary to work this hard? Can't you cut down on some activities?"
Yang Yi wasn't entirely clueless about the entertainment industry. In his past life, he'd read an online article about singer Pu Shu—someone who made music with heart and didn't bow to money. To Yang Yi, that was a true musician!
Why run around doing commercial gigs? Why appear on so many variety shows for exposure?
If the music is good, won't fans naturally show up?
Working yourself like a dog—does that guarantee a platinum album?
So Yang Yi strongly disagreed with Murphy's work approach, though he'd never brought it up before. Today, with Murphy's emotions running high, he couldn't help asking.
But Murphy found it comforting. This was the first time Yang Yi had expressed concern for her, even if his words weren't particularly tender. In her exhausted state, hearing that from him was enough.
"You have no idea how much pressure I'm under." Murphy finally dropped her icy armor, speaking in a tone of complaint. "I've been away from the music scene for over four years. I'm afraid the fans have forgotten me."
"Do you know how many newcomers have emerged in these four years? How many hit songs have refreshed people's memories? If I don't work hard, and my new album flops when it comes out, it'll be so embarrassing!"
Yang Yi was silent. These were issues he'd never considered, and he had no advice to offer, so he just listened.
Murphy had been bottling up these emotions, never sharing them with anyone—not even Mo Xiaojuan. In front of her cousin, she always maintained the image of a proud, resolute ice queen.
But today, the floodgates opened, and Murphy couldn't stop pouring out her grievances to Yang Yi.
She talked for over twenty minutes until her throat went dry. Then she snapped back to reality and said with a hint of reproach, "Hey, why am I the only one talking? Why aren't you saying anything?"
At that moment, Murphy didn't realize how girlish she sounded—her cheeks flushed, her tone half-scolding, half-playful, a soft gleam in her eyes. If Mo Xiaojuan had seen this, she'd probably have been stunned speechless.
But Yang Yi genuinely didn't know what to say!
"Regardless, take care of yourself. Don't overwork." He finally spoke, offering a few words of concern.
In truth, it was useless. Telling someone to take care of themselves doesn't solve the problem, does it?
Yet, it worked on Murphy!
Murphy was stubborn, with an extraordinary determination to pursue what she wanted. No matter what advice Yang Yi gave or how he tried to persuade her, she wouldn't turn back until she hit a wall.
But she responded to softness, not hardness. Yang Yi's sudden concern—coming from someone usually so cold and distant—made her feel like a little woman, a smile of happiness spreading across her face.
"Mm, I know." Murphy lowered her voice, her tone unreadable.
Their conversation was that brief. From start to finish, Yang Yi barely said a few words. But after hanging up, Murphy was so delighted that her exhaustion seemed to melt away.
He said to take care of herself.
Murphy got out of bed, took a shower in the bathroom, and then, to ease her hunger, boiled water and made a cup of instant noodles from the hotel room.
Finally, wrapped in a soft bathrobe, she lay gracefully on the bed, unable to fall asleep. With her eyes closed, it felt like Yang Yi's tall figure was right in front of her.
"That jerk. I'm not calling him tomorrow!" Murphy tossed and turned for a while, but exhaustion eventually overtook her, her consciousness fading. Still, she mumbled under her breath.
On Yang Yi's end, he showed no reaction, as if chatting with Murphy was just a minor interlude.
But it had slightly disrupted his plans. The extra half hour forced Yang Yi, who adhered to a strict schedule, to quickly finish two chapters of *Soldiers Assault*, tidy up, and head back to the bedroom to sleep.
That night, at Qiyue Literature Network, Qiangzi sat in the editing room, staring at his empty inbox, on the verge of tears!
For the past two days, he'd been trying to contact Yang Yi through the author backend, hoping to get his contact info and discuss issues like chapter breaks, upcoming promotions, and update pace.
Yang Yi was currently posting two chapters daily, but the word count had already reached tens of thousands. Qiangzi worried that before he could arrange the promotions, Yang Yi would finish the book!
Online novels were different from traditional literature. Every round of promotion slots was crucial and needed to be arranged step by step. If Yang Yi missed the best promotion slots, his results wouldn't reach their full potential.
Moreover, *Soldiers Assault* was currently in the spotlight, with as many fans as detractors. The discussion boards were in chaos every day.
Controversy meant selling points. If Yang Yi slowed down his updates, it would only help, not hurt!
But Yang Yi hadn't responded to him at all. It seemed he'd just uploaded chapters to the draft box and never logged in again. What could Qiangzi do?
If only Qiangzi knew that Murphy had taken up Yang Yi's time, keeping him offline, he'd probably spit blood in frustration.