It must be said that habit is a terrifying force. Yang Yi was no exception.
After talking to Mo Fei on the phone for over a week, Yang Yi had grown accustomed to picking up his phone at night and listening to her speak. But after she returned, this nightly ritual came to an abrupt halt. Every evening as he typed away at his keyboard, the phone sitting beside him remained silent.
"Is this what disappointment feels like?" Yang Yi thought silently. "Why am I feeling this way too?"
In truth, he was just an ordinary person!
However, unlike Mo Fei's wild speculations, Yang Yi found that when he couldn't control this emotion, which was growing as wildly as weeds, he chose to ignore it, to stop dwelling on it, to set it aside, and focus his energy on the tasks at hand.
He was going to adapt *Liang Jian*!
But the problem was, Yang Yi counted on his fingers and waited until the new weekend, yet still didn't see Xixi arrive.
Had Mo Fei not gone on her promotional tour? Wasn't she about to release her new album soon?
And so, Yang Yi waited all the way until his new book was published, barely paying attention to how it was doing. Then, the day after Mo Fei's new album dropped, he finally received a call from Xixi!
"Daddy, boohoo, you don't want Xixi anymore!" the little girl complained tearfully as soon as she got on the phone.
"Huh? What? When did Daddy ever say he didn't want Xixi?" Yang Yi was completely baffled.
After a long back-and-forth, Yang Yi finally got the full story from a pitiful, sobbing Xixi.
Mo Fei had already gone to a TV station in Shanghai for chart promotions. For the month following her new album's release, she would be bouncing between music programs on four major TV stations in Shanghai, Beijing, and elsewhere. While these chart appearances wouldn't necessarily determine her album sales, they could boost her visibility to some extent—if the results were good, naturally more people would buy it!
However, Mo Fei hadn't sent Xixi to Yang Yi's place. What Yang Yi didn't know was that Mo Fei was angry with him. She thought, why should she send Xixi over? Just to let her watch Yang Yi and his "lover" carry on all lovey-dovey?
Of course, the excuse Mo Fei gave Xixi was: "Your daddy is too busy right now. We can't disturb his work."
"Xixi misses Daddy so much. After Daddy finishes work, will you play with Xixi, okay?" the little girl sniffled. "Mommy isn't home, and Xixi gets scared at night."
Mo Fei had been away on business for a few days. Xixi couldn't hold it in any longer today and snuck into the living room to call her dad. Before this, the little girl hadn't dared to bother him!
Yang Yi was actually seething with anger. He had no idea why Mo Fei would lie to Xixi like this! Even more baffling, why would she rather leave Xixi home alone than send her over to him?
When had he ever been too busy? Right now, Yang Yi was the most idle person in the world!
Frowning, Yang Yi thought back to Mo Fei suddenly cutting off contact, and couldn't help wondering, "What is she trying to do? What kind of person does she take me for? Someone she can summon and dismiss at will?"
Some of the less favorable impressions from his predecessor resurfaced, starting to cloud his judgment.
Was Mo Fei still just treating him as a substitute, like a stuffed doll, only needed when her daughter wanted a father figure?
Regardless, Yang Yi was furious.
Why shouldn't he be allowed to take care of his own daughter? It was obvious that even with zero experience, he could look after her better than Mo Fei, a mother too busy to spend time with her child!
"Daddy, I want you to tell me a story," Xixi said pitifully.
"Xixi, don't be scared. Daddy is coming to get you right now!" Yang Yi suppressed his anger and comforted the little girl. "You go back to bed, close your eyes, and when you wake up tomorrow, you'll see Daddy!"
"Really?" Xixi asked, surprised and delighted.
"Really!" Yang Yi said firmly.
"Will the seven dwarfs bring Xixi to Daddy?" Xixi couldn't bear to hang up, her heart full of joy and imagination.
"Yeah, that's right," Yang Yi said softly.
After hanging up, Yang Yi sat in silence for a moment. He glanced at Mo Fei's number in the call log but, after a moment's thought, decided not to call her.
Begging for favors? Yang Yi couldn't do that.
Besides, he preferred to solve problems his own way!
...
What was Yang Yi's way?
In the deep night, Yang Yi's Ba Lang motorcycle slowly emerged from the dim streetlights, then silently turned into a secluded alley.
"This is it, no mistake." Yang Yi turned on the bike's light and studied the map.
When Mo Fei had taken Xixi away, she'd given him her home address. Though this world didn't have GPS on phones yet, Yang Yi was who he was—did he really need GPS to find a place?
Putting away the map, Yang Yi unzipped his jacket, revealing the black tight-fitting clothes underneath. After stowing his things, he picked up a small shoulder bag, turned off the light, and stepped out of the car.
Mo Fei lived in a high-end neighborhood with tight security, naturally equipped with electronic access controls.
Security was easy to handle. Yang Yi scaled the wall at the end of the alley like a flipping kite, leaping over gracefully. With his skills, even the broken glass on top couldn't touch a hair on his head.
But the electronic access was a bit tricky. He didn't have much time and didn't want to cause a scene or blow things out of proportion. So, he left the clueless security guards alone, climbed up the drainpipe, and slipped into the stairwell on the fourth floor.
Mo Fei lived on the thirtieth floor...
To avoid the elevator's surveillance cameras, Yang Yi climbed all the way up the stairwell to the thirtieth floor. It was a good thing he was Yang Yi, with physical abilities far beyond normal—he could do it without even breaking a sweat or losing his breath.
When he got there, the floor had only one apartment, ensuring privacy and making it easy to find.
Yang Yi moved the surveillance camera aside. Next up: picking the lock!
Mo Fei's door lock was no ordinary one either, but Yang Yi breathed a sigh of relief when he saw it wasn't an electronic security lock. If it were a fingerprint or password lock, he'd need professional tools to crack it!
And where was he supposed to find professional tools now?
But any lock that could be opened with a key, Yang Yi could handle. He pulled a few pieces of wire from his small bag and fiddled with the lock for a while. With a soft click, the lock was open!
Putting the wires away, Yang Yi gently pulled the door open and crept inside.
This was Mo Fei's home!
From the shoe cabinet in the entryway, Yang Yi spotted a pair of boots Mo Fei used to wear, and his mind settled. If the address Mo Fei had given him was wrong, he'd be completely lost!
But there was still one person to deal with: Mo Fei's nanny!
She was probably already asleep in the nanny's room, but Yang Yi couldn't take any chances. He quietly slipped into the nanny's room—the door wasn't closed—and lightly tapped her sleep acupoint.
That would ensure she slept soundly until the next morning!