Murphy's vacation ended quickly. She only stayed at Yang Yi's house for two days. Although there were many awkward moments between them during those two days, their relationship didn't progress further. Instead, because of the argument over whether to send Xixi to kindergarten, Murphy's words created a crack in their relationship.
How long it would take to mend this crack was anyone's guess.
But one thing was clear: Yang Yi and Murphy still couldn't agree on whether Xixi should go to kindergarten.
Two days after Murphy left, Yang Yi received a letter from Hong Kong, personally written and sent by Chen Yijie!
The letter naturally included thanks for Yang Yi's two songs, which helped him earn a platinum record early and return to the ranks of top-tier singers.
"On July 23rd, I'll be holding a concert at the Hongrenfang Music Hall in Jiangcheng. I sincerely invite you and your family to come watch..." Chen Yijie also enclosed five consecutive VIP front-row tickets with the letter.
It turned out that after releasing his new album, Chen Yijie had also launched his national tour, which had been suspended for two years. Hong Kong was naturally the first and last stop, but he unexpectedly added Jiangcheng, a city not originally on the list, as the second stop.
Clearly, he was doing this to repay Yang Yi!
Chen Yijie's star power was originally no less than Murphy's. Although he had reduced his activities in the past two years to focus on his new album, his fan loyalty was stronger than many big-name celebrities. Coupled with the massive success of his new album, his popularity and momentum were unmatched.
Before the Hong Kong concert tickets went on sale, long lines formed outside the ticket outlets. Within an hour of sales opening, all tickets at every outlet were sold out!
It was similar in Jiangcheng. Not only local fans, but also fans from nearby cities like Magic City came to buy tickets, and even fans from Hong Kong who couldn't get tickets flew over. The Jiangcheng concert tickets also sold out, taking less than a day!
This was still in the era before online ticket sales. After reading the news, Yang Yi thought that if it were online sales, the tickets would probably be snapped up in minutes!
Because they were so sought after, Yang Yi felt that Chen Yijie's gesture was incredibly generous. These five VIP seats, closer to the stage than the floor seats, would cost tens of thousands at face value, even without scalpers marking them up. And with such frenzied demand, even money couldn't guarantee a purchase!
But Yang Yi didn't need that many tickets... Counting himself and Xixi, at most two people would go, right?
He couldn't exactly give tickets to another celebrity to Murphy, could he? Take her to a concert? Yang Yi wasn't heartless enough to do that—it would just be awkward for Murphy.
Yang Yi was already planning to send the remaining three tickets back to Chen Yijie when Guo Ziyi called: "Brother Yang, turn on the TV, Jiangnan Satellite TV. Don't ask why, just watch it first, hehehe!"
With a smug laugh, the chubby guy hung up.
A bit confused, Yang Yi turned on the TV. Seeing this, Xixi, who had been playing with toys, quickly ran over and snuggled up to her dad, sweetly saying, "Daddy, are you going to let Xixi watch cartoons?"
After Murphy came, she corrected many of Yang Yi's bad parenting habits, one of which was letting Xixi watch too much TV.
Before, Yang Yi had indulged Xixi completely. As long as she didn't sit too close to the screen, he let her turn on the TV, press the remote, and watch by herself—proving that with enough appeal, kids learn fast. Xixi had memorized the remote control after watching a few times.
But now, Xixi's good days were over!
Following Murphy's advice, Yang Yi limited Xixi to at most two hours of TV a day, split into two sessions with several hours of rest in between...
So, Xixi had been eagerly watching her dad all afternoon, finally hoping for him to turn on the TV!
"It's not for cartoons. Daddy needs to watch Jiangnan Satellite TV." Yang Yi wasn't as skilled as the little one; he had to press buttons one by one to find the channel.
"Okay then." Xixi pouted, but instead of walking away, she grabbed her dad's hand and squeezed closer into his arms.
Her big eyes were sharp, darting between the TV and her dad, probably scheming: "When Daddy's done watching TV, can Xixi watch cartoons?"
Finally, he found Jiangnan Satellite TV. The news anchor was reporting on this year's Jiangnan Province college entrance exam results: "...along with the announcement of the liberal arts cutoff..."
The exam results had been released two days ago, right? Was Guo Ziyi trying to tell Yang Yi how he did? But why make him watch the news? Would the news reveal his results?
Just as Yang Yi was baffled, the news cut to an interview with the top scorers in liberal arts and sciences, and the chubby guy appeared on screen!
"Hey, isn't that Uncle?" Xixi reacted quickly, exclaiming in surprise.
Yeah! Yang Yi saw it too, stunned. This guy got the top science score?
And not just in Jiangcheng—the title on screen read "Jiangnan Province Top Science Scorer"!
"Daddy, isn't that Uncle Ziyi?" Xixi tugged at her dad's hand, pressing for an answer.
"Yeah, it's him." Yang Yi wanted to say it was a coincidence, but remembering the chubby guy's smugness earlier, he was speechless. "If it's not him, who else could it be?"
On TV, the reporter asked Guo Ziyi about his study techniques. The chubby guy said, "I don't have any special techniques. The main thing is strong motivation—I worked really hard before the exams. So I suggest all examinees watching find your goal and give it your all. I believe you can achieve your ideal results!"
So far, Guo Ziyi's answer was decent.
But the reporter had to ask one more question: "Can you share your goal with everyone? Is it to get into Qing University or Beihua University?"
Yang Yi saw the excitement flash in Guo Ziyi's eyes. Sure enough, the chubby guy opened his mouth and said, "No, my goal is to get into Jiangcheng Media University!"
Nani? Yang Yi mentally added a line for the bewildered reporter.
Jiangcheng Media University was a first-tier school, but its cutoff wasn't high. A top scorer not aiming for Qing University or Beihua University but this school—wasn't that like using a butcher's knife to kill a chicken?
"Two months ago, I took the art exam at Jiangcheng Media University, but unfortunately, the examiners thought I was too fat and too young, so they didn't let me pass." Guo Ziyi said seriously. "But I didn't get discouraged. I set my mind on getting into Jiangcheng Media University."
Finally, he pumped his fist at the camera with fighting spirit: "Jiangcheng Media University, here I come!"
Yang Yi covered his forehead, completely speechless at this goofball. With all that talent, why did he have to be so stubborn? And did he have to be so flashy about it?
Xixi didn't really care what the uncle on TV was saying!
Seeing that her dad wasn't watching anymore, she rolled her eyes, secretly grabbed the remote from his arms.
Change the channel—time for cartoons!