A new day dawned, and the sign for "Coffee Shop at the Corner" was hung out.
Yang Yi sat once again behind his counter, but this time, instead of tirelessly wiping cups, he held a book and read slowly.
Xixi sat in the sofa circle in front of the counter, playing a cheerful game of house with her plush toys all by herself. Occasionally, she would look up, and seeing her dad still sitting there, she felt at ease.
The coffee shop still had few customers, but there was a slight difference from before!
There was beautiful singing now!
"This road you say is a bit dark / Yet you won't give me company / So-called care is just indifference / Leaving me to bear the sorrow alone..."
Newly purchased speakers were placed in four inconspicuous corners of the shop, and Murphy's melancholic voice, enhanced by the high-fi surround sound system, sounded even more lingering and heart-wrenching.
"Actually, her songs aren't bad. Even if I hadn't taken it by force, I would have saved a spot for her," Yang Yi thought to himself as he grew tired of reading, occasionally looking up at the album placed on the work surface below the counter.
This was Murphy's most successful album back then, titled "Love Like Ink Road," and the song Yang Yi had just listened to was also her most popular one to date—the title track of that album, "Strangers on the Same Road."
When Murphy's album sold platinum and propelled her to the throne of the Ice Queen of song, Yang Yi, after listening to it, couldn't help but admire its excellence!
And "Strangers on the Same Road" was indeed a great song. The lyrics told a story that tugged at the heartstrings, and Murphy's unique, cool voice delivered the emotion in a way that seemed ordinary yet couldn't hide the deep, lingering sadness.
Even though he was quite familiar with Murphy, after hearing this song, Yang Yi couldn't help but want to give her a hug, to understand the past she described in her lyrics.
Of course, the song was written by someone else, telling someone else's story...
But Murphy's voice was truly special. If he had to describe it with references, her voice had A-Mei's range, Faye Wong's coolness, and Karen Mok's loneliness and sorrow. And if he listened carefully, with ears as sharp as Yang Yi's, he could also detect a hint of the naive sensibility of Rene Liu hidden deep in her voice.
However, Murphy's sensibility was concealed in the turns of each lyric, hidden behind her highly skilled singing techniques!
Speaking of her singing techniques, Yang Yi remembered reading an online background introduction about Murphy: Her mother was also a singer who developed her career in Hong Kong many years ago. But back then, Hong Kong was in its golden age, with many talents emerging, and Murphy's mother couldn't even make it as a second- or third-tier singer, let alone match Murphy's current achievements.
But under her mother's guidance from a young age, Murphy developed a good voice and mastered various singing techniques. So from the start of her career, she could sing highly challenging songs, quickly impressing many management companies and songwriters.
But why, over time, did she gradually hide her sensitive side? Yang Yi couldn't figure this out.
Just as he shook his head and was about to continue reading, the wind chimes at the door rang—a customer had arrived!
Yang Yi looked up and saw two men in glasses standing there.
The one in front wore black square-framed glasses, while the young man standing slightly behind had round-framed glasses that gave him a somewhat adorably nerdy look, almost like a character from an anime.
Of course, it was clear that the young man with round glasses was a bit nervous. When his eyes met Yang Yi's, he instinctively looked away, likely not very good at interacting with people.
They glanced around the unusually quiet coffee shop, looking confused and hesitant, not at all like customers, just standing at the door without moving.
"Can I get you two something to drink?" Yang Yi had no choice but to take the initiative to greet them.
"Boss, sorry, we're looking for someone," the middle-aged man with black square-framed glasses explained with a smile.
Looking for someone? Yang Yi was puzzled. His place barely had a few customers a day, let alone regulars. Why would anyone come here looking for someone?
But the middle-aged man had already turned to the young man with round glasses and said, "Qiangzi, give him a call. We're at the place—did he give us the wrong address?"
The young man with round glasses quickly nodded. He reached for the zipper of his laptop bag but then remembered something and pulled his phone out of his pants pocket instead.
Wait, Qiangzi?
Yang Yi's mind worked fast, and he immediately realized where he had seen that name before.
"You're looking for me, aren't you?" Yang Yi shook his buzzing phone helplessly, looking at them.
"Are you Yang Yi?" the young man with round glasses asked in surprise.
"Genuine, no fake. Want to see my ID?"
...
Finally, they confirmed each other's identities. The two visitors were Hu Da, the editor-in-chief of Qiyue Chinese Network, and Qiangzi, the editor in charge of Yang Yi.
"Yang Yi, were you in the military before?" Hu Da asked in surprise as he got closer and saw Yang Yi's height and build when he stood up.
"Yeah," Yang Yi nodded.
Hu Da suddenly understood. "No wonder your military novel resonates with so many readers! It's so realistic—does it have anything to do with your own experiences?"
Yang Yi was speechless. "Novels are just artistic creations."
"Understood, understood!" Hu Da laughed heartily.
Qiangzi was diligent in asking questions online, but in real life, he was a bit awkward and didn't speak much, aside from shaking hands with Yang Yi at the start.
He even sat there somewhat stiffly, his mind wandering as he turned to look at the little girl behind him, whom Yang Yi had introduced as his daughter, Xixi.
She was adorable, like a porcelain doll.
Qiangzi couldn't help but think to himself, "When I'm Yang Yi's age, I want to have a daughter this cute too!"
But the question was, would he even have a girlfriend by then? Qiangzi felt a pang of melancholy.
Xixi noticed his gaze and turned around curiously, her big bright eyes startling Qiangzi into quickly looking away.
Meanwhile, Hu Da was still chatting with Yang Yi about this and that. As the host, Yang Yi naturally had to brew coffee for his guests. While Hu Da was examining the counter, he suddenly noticed the book Yang Yi had placed nearby.
"From National Fall to Full Counterattack." Hu Da hadn't read it, but the title clearly told him what kind of historical text it was.
A flash of inspiration struck Hu Da, and he asked proactively, "Yang Yi, that new book you mentioned to Qiangzi—are you planning to write a story set during the resistance against invasion?"
Yang Yi was grinding coffee beans at the time. He looked up in surprise. "How did you know?"
When he saw Hu Da pointing at the book as a hint, he understood.
Yang Yi smiled slightly and said, "Yes, I want to write a war story that's different from 'Soldier Assault'—more intense, more thrilling!"
Hearing Yang Yi's brief description, Hu Da clenched his fist secretly.
More intense, more thrilling—wasn't that exactly what he wanted? A military novel that fit the rhythm of online literature even better!