Li Yue barely managed to suppress her frustration."What I meant was — 'Joy' has officially launched."
"That's your business," Zhang Yichen replied indifferently. "No need to tell me. I'm just a student now — and a stay-at-home dad."
"You…"Li Yue was speechless. How had she ended up on this pirate ship in the first place?
"I trust you to handle everything," Zhang Yichen added suddenly, offering her one rare compliment.
Li Yue: "…"
Was he praising her… or dumping all the responsibility onto her?
Zhang Yichen had no intention of managing the company personally. In his view, the smartest thing to do was to leave professional matters to the professionals.
And without question, that professional was Li Yue.
In the past few days, she had successfully overseen the company's relocation, settled the new equity distribution, and even secured a third-party payment license.
Now that was true capability.
With that license, his platform — Joy Shopping — could finally go live.
His plan was simple: once the company renovations were finished, he would host his first livestream.
To do that, they either needed merchant partnerships or their own in-house products.
If they chose in-house operations, they would also need a warehouse.
All of that, he left to Li Yue.
Whether she preferred merchants or self-operation, it was entirely up to her.
Zhang Yichen had full confidence she would handle it.
His priority was something else — helping Chen Xiaoxi record her songs.
She planned to release a physical album, so the sooner they finished recording, the better.
They had their first recording session scheduled for the afternoon.
After lunch, the three of them — baby included — headed to the studio.
The first song Xiaoxi planned to record was "Courage."
But she looked torn.
Should she include it in the album or not?
Usually, an album contained ten tracks — an unspoken rule in the music industry here.
It wasn't something she could casually break.
If she did, she'd become a target for criticism.
"What's wrong? You look stressed," Zhang Yichen asked, noticing the crease forming between her brows.
"Ah…" Xiaoxi sighed. "I've recorded eleven songs, and I love all of them. But an album can only have ten!"
"That's it?" Zhang Yichen raised an eyebrow. "Are you planning to never release another album?"
"Of course I am," Xiaoxi blinked in confusion. "Why wouldn't I?"
"Then what's the problem?"He smiled. "Put ten in this album and save the extra one for the next."
"Oh…" Her eyes widened. "Right! I was overthinking!"
"You're still suffering from 'pregnancy brain,' huh?"Zhang Yichen flicked her forehead lightly. "Stop worrying and start recording."
Holding her forehead, Xiaoxi pouted playfully."You're the reason I got pregnant in the first place!"
"Fine, fine, blame me," Zhang Yichen said with a helpless smile. "It's all my fault."
Any married man would understand — some arguments weren't worth starting.
Admitting defeat was the wiser option.
Otherwise, best case he'd be sleeping on the floor… worst case, kneeling on durians.
Feeling his gaze, Xiaoxi blushed, but a sweet smile curled on her lips.
"Ah, Xiaoxi, you're too easy to please," Li Yue sighed.
Then she switched into business mode."Boss, I need a confirmed date for Joy Shopping's launch so I can plan the next steps."
Zhang Yichen thought for a moment."Let's launch it the same day as the press conference. That way we don't even need extra promotion."
"You're not serious?!" Li Yue nearly bit her tongue. "That's way too soon! We still need merchants, product selection, logistics, supply coordination—"
"Stop, stop!" Zhang Yichen cut in. "For now, we'll only sell Xiaoxi's album. You can prepare everything else later."
"What? The album?"Li Yue stared at him. "You're joking, right?"
She couldn't be blamed for doubting him.
Even physical album stores needed posters and marketing — and he wanted to sell it via livestream?
Sure, online shopping was growing fast, but it hadn't overtaken retail yet.
It wasn't that she looked down on e-commerce — in fact, she believed it had huge future potential.
But the timing still felt too early.
Once everyone had smartphones, livestream shopping would explode.
But right now…?
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Zhang Yichen smiled faintly. "Xiaoxi's songs have already built hype. Her fans are waiting — you think they won't buy?"
Listening from the side, Xiaoxi hesitated."A-Chen, Yue's got a point. Maybe we should take it slow and sell in stores first?"
Zhang Yichen turned to her, his tone gentle but firm."Trust me. The appeal of livestream shopping isn't something ordinary consumers can resist."
"…Alright." She nodded softly, eyes shining. "I'll believe you."
By now, she truly did — completely.
Every one of his predictions these past few days had come true.
Even the ones that hadn't yet… were clearly on their way.
Just like her health — she could feel herself getting stronger day by day.
Even her postpartum complications had fully vanished.
After one more acupuncture session, she would be completely healed.
And when that day came…
She would reward him — properly.
"Hopeless," Li Yue muttered, rubbing her temples. "Fine. Since both of you agree, I'll arrange things accordingly."
"Good." Zhang Yichen nodded. "Oh, and make sure to push out the second round of publicity tomorrow."
It was all part of his marketing plan — and he intended to trend again.
"Got it. I'll handle it," Li Yue said without much enthusiasm.
To be honest, she didn't support his approach.
To her, Zhang Yichen was taking unnecessary risks.
A genius like him didn't need gimmicks — his talent alone guaranteed success.
There were countless ways to elevate Xiaoxi's public image.
But this? This felt reckless.
Sure, they had attention now — but at what cost?
She just couldn't understand why he insisted on walking this path.
Zhang Yichen only smiled."I trust you to handle it."
That same infuriating phrase again.
Xiaoxi chuckled, glancing between them."Alright, let's get to work. It's been a while since I recorded — I'm actually excited."
"Good. Let's begin," Zhang Yichen said.
As she stepped into the recording booth, a wave of emotion washed over her.
It had been more than a year since she last stood here.
The faint hum in her headphones calmed her nerves.
She slipped them on, closed her eyes, and steadied her breathing — as if the entire world had gone silent, leaving only her and the microphone.
"Ready?" Zhang Yichen's deep, soothing voice came through the headset.
"Mhm." She nodded toward him, her fingers brushing the mic stand for comfort.
The instrumental track began to play.
Xiaoxi took a deep breath… and began to sing "Courage."
Her voice was clear, emotional — every note carrying a year's worth of reflection and growth.
Each lyric flowed from her heart, wrapped in quiet strength.
Zhang Yichen watched from the control panel, his gaze locked on her silhouette.
Every breath she took tugged at something inside him.
When the song ended, she looked up uncertainly."How was it?"
"Pretty good," Zhang Yichen said with a thumbs-up."Your tone is perfect. Just keep your breathing steadier. One more take."
"Alright."
She closed her eyes again, finding her rhythm.
But after several takes, small flaws kept appearing — a missed pitch, a shaky breath.
Unable to watch any longer, Zhang Yichen walked into the booth."Did you memorize the lyrics?"
"Yes," she answered softly, guilt in her eyes.
"Good." He leaned closer, voice gentle but firm."Then listen carefully — close your eyes. Think about the age gap between us. Think about how people will look at us. Can you stand by me despite that?"
The words were sharp, but real.
They both knew this was a truth they'd have to face someday.
"I…" Her expression wavered — then steadied."I can!"
"Good. Then sing it again."He ruffled her hair and stepped out.
The recording resumed.
This time, Chen Xiaoxi was transformed — no hesitation, only conviction.
Her breathing stabilised, her emotion deepened.
When the final note faded, silence filled the studio.
"…Perfect."
Zhang Yichen finally broke the silence with a smile."That was perfect."
Hearing that, Chen Xiaoxi let out a long breath of relief.
She had done it — met his expectations, and perhaps even surpassed them.