Murphy set out early in the morning and made it back to Jiangcheng in just a few hours. She dismissed the driver of the nanny van, put on her sunglasses, mask, and hat, and took a taxi to Jiangcheng Media University.
But after all that fuss, it was nearly three in the afternoon when she appeared outside Yang Yi's coffee shop.
There weren't many customers...
Murphy stood at the door, hesitating for a moment without pushing it open. Through the glass, she saw Yang Yi inside, playing and fooling around with Xixi.
Yang Yi seemed to be juggling! He held a few small balls, tossing them up one by one, catching them, and tossing them again. The balls spun in a circle in the air, making Xixi laugh with excitement.
Of course, the glass had good soundproofing, so Murphy couldn't hear Xixi's laughter, but seeing the little one waving her arms and legs, how could she not know how joyful she was?
"Could it be that Xixi is happier with her dad?" A thought suddenly popped into Murphy's mind, dampening the fiery determination she'd had to confront him.
For some reason, she pulled her hand back from the door handle, feeling a urge to turn and leave.
It wasn't about giving up on her daughter, of course. Murphy realized she couldn't be too selfish—just because of her own jealousy, she couldn't keep Xixi from being with her dad. Besides, right now, she couldn't even give her daughter the time and companionship she needed!
Though a bit downcast, Murphy still made her choice.
But just as Murphy was about to turn and leave, Yang Yi seemed to sense something. He looked up, and his gaze met Murphy's.
Well, this time, Murphy couldn't escape.
"You came back from Magic City?" Yang Yi walked over himself, pulled open the door, and called her in, a bit surprised. "I told you not to worry. Xixi is safe with me."
Murphy's face was cold, and she didn't acknowledge Yang Yi.
"Mommy! Xixi missed you so much too!" The little girl happily hugged her mother's leg, beaming with joy.
She didn't bother to wonder why her mom had suddenly appeared. At that moment, having both mom and dad around was simply too wonderful!
Seeing her daughter, Murphy finally cracked a faint smile. She picked Xixi up, planted a kiss on her smooth little cheek, and murmured reproachfully, "Running off to your dad's place like that really scared Mommy."
"Mommy, don't be mad. The little dwarf brought Xixi here. Xixi took a nap and woke up to see Daddy!" Xixi tried to explain earnestly. "Mommy, please don't blame the little dwarf!"
What little dwarf?
Murphy shot Yang Yi a glare, annoyed. She knew perfectly well—it had to be Yang Yi's doing, and he'd even tricked Xixi!
Yang Yi felt a bit uneasy. He'd been confident before, but in front of Murphy, a sense of guilt crept over him, even deeper than the guilt from that two million earlier...
A little while later, Xixi was squirming in Murphy's arms, unable to sit still, while Murphy and Yang Yi stared at each other across the counter. Neither knew what to say, and the atmosphere was awkward.
Yang Yi wiped the table aimlessly until an idea struck him: "Let me make you some coffee. I finally got my hands on some authentic Blue Mountain coffee beans these past few days!"
Murphy set Xixi down and let her play on her own. She parted her red lips and said, "No coffee."
Yang Yi stopped what he was doing, at a loss.
For some reason, Murphy felt a pang of grievance. She pursed her lips and said in a very soft voice, "I'm hungry."
And she really was hungry—she'd rushed back without eating breakfast or lunch!
Yang Yi suddenly understood. He quickly said, "Then let's go upstairs. I'll fix you something to eat!"
Hearing this, Xixi happily ran ahead, shouting, "I want to eat too! I want to eat too!"
Yang Yi untied his apron, folded it neatly, grabbed his keys, and walked out. But when he looked back, Murphy was still sitting there, staring blankly.
"Let's go!" Yang Yi softened, his voice gentle.
Murphy pouted, hesitated, then stood up, putting on an air of indifference. She followed behind Yang Yi and said flatly, "Who knows if what you make will even taste good. I'm starting to think I'd be better off finding some random restaurant outside."
"That's not true! Daddy's cooking is super yummy!" Xixi ran back, patting her little belly and said innocently, "Xixi ate so much her tummy got big!"
Murphy's lips twitched. She was actually amused by the little one, but she had to maintain her cool demeanor in front of Yang Yi—she hadn't forgiven him yet—so she barely held back her smile.
Yang Yi didn't argue with Murphy. He preferred to let his actions speak.
At this hour, Chinese food wasn't really suitable, since cooking rice would take too long! Back in the kitchen, Yang Yi pulled a handful of spaghetti from the cabinet, then took out some beef tenderloin he'd planned to cook tonight, along with tomatoes, green peppers, onions, and other vegetables.
Making spaghetti wasn't hard, and the process was pretty standard, but the tricky part was controlling the heat and timing the addition of seasonings.
For Yang Yi, though, this was no challenge. He worked quickly, and soon a large plate of black pepper beef stir-fried spaghetti was ready. Knowing Xixi wanted some too, he set aside a small portion for her.
While the spaghetti was cooking, Yang Yi also managed to peel an apple, cut up some cherry tomatoes, peel a kiwi and a banana, and whip up a fruit salad.
He brought out a tray with three plates, smiling as he placed the large plate of spaghetti in front of Murphy and the small one in front of Xixi, with forks and chopsticks ready for both: "This is for you, and this is for Xixi. There's also fruit salad—enjoy!"
"Did he really make this?" Murphy stared blankly at the dish Yang Yi had prepared, momentarily frozen.
It wasn't that Murphy was unimpressed—far from it. Yang Yi had done an amazing job! Forget the aroma; the plating alone was meticulous. On the pristine white ceramic plate, the spaghetti wasn't spread out but coiled neatly in the center, like a little mountain.
And Yang Yi, that show-off, had even placed a small flower carved from apple peel on the edge of the plate!
This could rival the work of chefs at high-end Western restaurants!
"Eat up, or it'll get cold and won't taste as good," Yang Yi said, a bit puzzled, reminding her.
Of course, it wouldn't taste bad. Beside her, Xixi was already munching away with her little fork, her face smeared with meat sauce.
Murphy snapped back to reality. She gave Yang Yi a long, searching look, her eyes filled with confusion. But she still picked up her fork and began to eat.
A goddess was a goddess. Even though the first bite was so good it almost made her bite her tongue, she still ate gracefully, savoring each mouthful.