Xia An’ge returned to her room, feeling a bit awkward and unfamiliar. Sharing a pce with a grown man was something she hadn’t experienced since her time at the orphanage, where all the children lived together in the same room.

  Suddenly, she missed the orphanage. Ever since the orphanage director—whom she called "Mother"—passed away, her visits had been few and far between. She only sent money every three months, and now, three months have passed again. Xia An’ge found it amusing.

  It was as if she had a thing for three-month cycles.

  By the time she finished drying her hair, the sky outside had darkened. But she still wanted to go out—today, she had to buy all the essentials for daily living. After that, she could focus on writing songs. She wasn’t here for a vacation—though honestly, who vacations like this anyway?

  As she opened the door and stepped out, she noticed the man in the kitchen, busy preparing his dinner. It was rare to see a man who could cook, though, to be fair, he was the only one she had ever seen do it.

  Hearing the door open and close, Gu Zhinan, who was in the kitchen, peeked out. He saw that Xia An’ge had gone out—probably to eat.

  They had already id down the rules yesterday: no interference in each other’s lives. He had no reason to concern himself with her whereabouts. Besides, he had dinner to eat and a sea of knowledge to immerse himself in.

  Just then, her phone rang.

  "An’ge-jie!!!"

  As soon as the call connected, Ruan Ying’s excited voice came through.

  "Mm."

  Xia An’ge’s response was as cool as ever. As her personal assistant, Ruan Ying was used to it and continued speaking.

  "I’ve been reassigned to logistics now. The work is okay, but I still prefer being by your side."

  Logistics? Xia An’ge felt a pang of guilt. That was basically a catch-all department that handled everything. A personal assistant being stuck there felt like a waste of talent.

  She responded with another light "Mm" before adding a soft, "Sorry."

  But Ruan Ying didn’t seem to mind. If she had really been unhappy, she could have quit—her contract was just a standard employee contract, not a celebrity one like Xia An’ge’s. But she was waiting for Xia An’ge’s comeback. She believed that Xia An’ge would return.

  "Where are you now, An’ge-jie?"

  "Lin City."

  Ruan Ying knew Xia An’ge’s background and that she had grown up in Lin City’s orphanage, so it wasn’t a big deal to share that information.

  "Oh, are you visiting Mama Xia?"

  "Mm."

  The orphanage director's name was Xia Rou.

  "What a shame! The second bedroom in your apartment has already been rented out—to a guy, no less. Otherwise, you could have stayed there. I didn’t rent out the master bedroom, though! I know you wouldn’t like anyone messing with your stuff."

  The master bedroom was decorated to Xia An’ge’s taste, though Ruan Ying had been the one to buy everything and hire people to set it up.

  But Ruan Ying had guessed wrong—Xia An’ge was actually living in that very apartment!

  "By the way, do you remember Qi Sheng?" Ruan Ying suddenly asked.

  "Mm."

  Qi Sheng was a well-known musician. His songs were highly sought after by mid-tier singers, and one of his songs had originally been meant for Xia An’ge—until it was snatched away.

  Walking down the street in an oversized T-shirt and jeans, with her high ponytail pulled through the back of her cap, Xia An’ge had the effortless aura of a cool, independent woman.

  "I heard from someone in logistics that he’s in Haipu City right now, writing a song specifically for Qu Taoyu!"

  Ruan Ying huffed in frustration. "That song was meant for you, and now he’s writing her another one? And to top it off, Sister Hua used your Weibo account today to promote Qu Taoyu! So unfair!"

  She kept ranting until she realized Xia An’ge had gone completely silent. Immediately, she panicked and apologized.

  "Sorry, An’ge-jie! I didn’t mean to bring them up!"

  "It’s fine."

  Xia An’ge’s voice remained cold, but her free hand clenched tightly, her nails pressing so hard into her palm that it seemed they might break through the skin.

  Her Weibo had 300,000 followers, but it was just her name attached to it. She had no control over its operations. And now, it has been reduced to a tool for boosting someone else’s popurity.

  Ruan Ying knew that Xia An’ge must be upset. As her assistant, she understood her temperament. And honestly, she felt just as frustrated on her behalf.

  "Anyway, there’s more," Ruan Ying quickly changed the topic. "Qi Sheng said that after he finishes Qu Taoyu’s song, he’ll be staying in Lin City for half a month—his wife’s family is from there. I even have his contact info! One of my colleagues saw it on Qu Taoyu’s assistant’s phone."

  She hesitated for a moment before adding, "Maybe we can reach out to him ourselves? Ask him to write a song for you? Your voice is way better than Qu Taoyu’s, after all!"

  He’s coming to Lin City? Xia An’ge did have some thoughts about that.

  "If you’re still in Lin City by then, you should try! You might even get some inspiration from it. You can do it, An’ge-jie!"

  Ruan Ying was a certified number-one fan.

  "Send me his number on WeChat."

  "On it!"

  Then came more of Ruan Ying’s usual nagging—telling Xia An’ge to take care of herself, to eat properly but not indulge too much, to make sure she didn’t gain weight and stayed beautiful for her comeback.

  Xia An’ge pursed her lips under her mask and finally interrupted.

  "I’m going to eat now."

  In reality, she had just arrived at the supermarket. She pnned to stock up on groceries—just like Gu Zhinan had.

  Hearing that Xia An’ge was about to eat, Ruan Ying reluctantly ended the call.

  Not long after, Xia An’ge’s phone buzzed again—it was Ruan Ying sending over Qi Sheng’s contact. She saved it.

  Now, she had to focus on groceries. But as she stood there, she hesitated.

  Back at the orphanage, she had never learned how to cook. Throughout middle school and university, she had been too busy with work-study programs. Then, before she even graduated, she had joined a talent show, won second pce, and signed with Star Entertainment.

  Cooking? The only thing she knew how to make was noodles—taught to her by Mama Xia. The best noodles she had ever eaten were the ones Mama Xia made. But she would never get to eat them again.

  Shaking off the thought, she went straight to the noodle aisle, grabbing several packs. Then, she picked out vegetables, meat, and—of course—snacks and drinks. No girl could resist snacks.

  Ruan Ying told her to watch her diet, but Xia An’ge had her own logic:

  If she ate, she would exercise. Exercise would burn calories. So, in the end, it would be like she never ate at all.

  Perfectly reasonable!

  At checkout, she found herself with two full bags. Her lips parted slightly in surprise—she hadn’t expected to buy so much.

  She didn’t even have a car. Her situation was really… sad.

  But her pride wouldn’t let her show it. Keeping up her cold and composed facade, she picked up the bags and walked out of the supermarket.