Qiu Xiaotong's "Yang Yi is a jerk" comment was, of course, just a small misunderstanding and didn't bring any real trouble to Yang Yi. General Qiu was old, but not senile; on the contrary, after his granddaughter explained things, he developed a strong interest in the novels Yang Yi had written.
Not only *Bright Sword*, but also Yang Yi's earlier *Soldiers' Sortie*—both made the old general read with fervor and couldn't stop praising them. The old general became a fan of Yang Yi, and even spurred the Jiangnan Military Region to study the spirit of *Bright Sword* and the never-give-up, never-abandon attitude of Xu Sanduo, creating a huge sales outlet for Yang Yi's upcoming physical book releases!
Of course, that's all later talk.
*Bright Sword* was completed, bringing Yang Yi high acclaim and an income many times greater than *Soldiers' Sortie*—enough for him to invest in the Sahara Online Bookstore.
But editor Qiangzi was very anxious, pestering Yang Yi for days: "My dear sir, your old book's been finished for a while, why haven't you started planning a new one?"
If an editor in traditional literature dared to push an author like this, it would be unprofessional, since traditional works need time to brew. No author finishes one book and immediately starts another without a break.
But that's how web fiction works—to keep your popularity, you need a steady stream of new content to hold readers' attention.
However, Yang Yi wasn't your typical web novelist. He remained unmoved by Qiangzi's urging: "No plans for a new book yet. Let me rest for a month first."
"How can that be?" Qiangzi said anxiously.
But Yang Yi wouldn't easily change his mind, so Qiangzi had to settle for less: "Then at least tell us about your future book—what genre, a rough synopsis—so we can arrange promotion and keep the momentum going!"
Yet Yang Yi's next answer made Qiangzi want to die: "No synopsis, but as for the genre, I can give a hint. I'm planning to write about crime."
"What?" Qiangzi was stunned. "You're not writing military anymore? Or is it military crime?"
"No, just crime. Oh, right, I have something to do. Gotta go. Bye!" Yang Yi hung up, leaving Qiangzi alone in his office, utterly bewildered.
Yang Yi wasn't making excuses; he really had something to do. It was just bad timing that Qiangzi called. And Yang Yi couldn't linger too long—Xixi was alone in the car, with the air conditioning on, but it still wasn't safe.
After hanging up, Yang Yi returned to the cake shop and continued describing to the clerk: "The general design should be like what I drew on this paper. I want it to feel icy and snowy."
"Yes, I know it requires a lot of steps, but I asked around a lot before learning that your shop's craftsmanship is reliable! So as long as it satisfies me, money isn't an issue..."
That's right, Yang Yi was ordering a cake for Xixi!
It was Mo Fei who told Yang Yi that July 13th was his daughter's birthday. So, to throw the first birthday party he'd ever prepared for Xixi, Yang Yi started getting ready two days early—ordering the cake, buying decorations, gifts, and so on.
Of course, to surprise Xixi, Yang Yi had to keep it a secret from her while arranging the custom cake with the shop!
After handling everything, Yang Yi returned to the car. Xixi was already getting impatient.
The little girl pouted, and when her dad got in and looked at her, she deliberately turned away with a huff, expressing her strong displeasure.
"Alright, alright. Daddy apologizes for taking so long and making Xixi wait." Yang Yi smiled. He could see right through her little antics.
"I don't want to talk to you!" the little one said angrily.
"Why not?" Yang Yi, a tall man, softened completely in front of his daughter, pretending to be hurt.
Xixi finally turned back, her little face serious: "Because Daddy said you'd take Xixi shopping for clothes, but in the end, you left her in the car and went shopping alone! Yang Yi, aren't you lying to a kid?"
The way Xixi looked so earnest at first made Yang Yi almost laugh, but then that "Yang Yi" caught him off guard and left him flustered.
This little one—where did she pick up Mo Fei's tone? And she mimicked it perfectly!
"Ahem, Daddy just went to take care of something. I didn't lie to Xixi!" Yang Yi said with a wry smile.
"Really?" Xixi softened.
Yang Yi nodded vigorously. "Yes, now we're really going shopping!"
Xixi's expression eased, and she let out a deep sigh. "Fine, I forgive you."
Children's moods come and go quickly. Not long after Yang Yi started the car, Xixi was pestering him: "Daddy, where are we going to play?"
"Is it close?"
"Are you going to buy Xixi lots of clothes?"
Xixi was like a little "Why" machine, asking nonstop questions.
Kids can be pretty annoying sometimes, repeating the same questions over and over. If you don't answer promptly, they'll repeat it like a broken record hundreds of times.
Fortunately, Yang Yi had a patient nature and could tolerate Xixi's occasional chatter, like a nagging monk. Plus, he had plenty of free time—running a quiet coffee shop and writing novels—so he answered her questions without getting tired, without missing a beat.
Even though the main purpose of this afternoon outing was to order Xixi's cake, since he'd promised to take her shopping, Yang Yi didn't break his word.
This time, instead of going to the Haihong Mall in Binhai District, he headed to the pedestrian street in Wuhu District of the old city—because the cake shop was there.
The things sold on this pedestrian street were, of course, not as expensive as those at Haihong Mall. Most were small businesses, and the shoppers were mostly residents of the old district. In the past, when Yang Yi was strapped for cash, if he had to buy clothes, he'd choose this street.
So, this shopping trip was also a bit of a nostalgic walk for him.
He strolled with his daughter from shop to shop. Xixi enjoyed the sights, but they didn't buy much, since there weren't many children's clothing stores on this street.
Instead, a small accessory shop caught both Yang Yi and Xixi's attention.
"Do you like this? Put it on, and you'll really look like a little princess!" Yang Yi smiled, taking down a silver, bejeweled tiara and placing it on Xixi's head.
It was cheap—the tag on the shelf said twenty yuan—and Yang Yi knew that if he haggled, he could probably get it down by ten.
Clearly, the tiara wasn't made of metal, probably plastic, and the beads were just shiny plastic ones glued on.
But Xixi loved it. She looked in the mirror, even lifting her little skirt a bit, showing off proudly.
"We'll take this!" Yang Yi said with a smile, handing the money to the shopkeeper.
Nostalgia was fine, but Yang Yi didn't like bargaining. After all, he wasn't the same person he used to be.