The riverside adorned with willows, where Xiao Mei held Yan Yuchen's hand, chattering happily along the way, wearing a joyful smile on her face.
Against the resistance of her seemingly indifferent, possibly real mother, Yan Yuchen had no choice but to bring her home temporarily.
"Poor child, it's been a long time since she enjoyed the warmth of a family. Let her stay with you for a couple of days," the beautiful lady boss sighed slightly as they were leaving.
Yan Xiaoxi softened at her words and agreed reluctantly.
So, Xiao Mei happily accompanied them back home.
Walking by the riverbank, Xiao Mei was ecstatic, looking around and then pointing at a small boat on the water with excitement. "A boat, Brother Yan, can we go for a boat ride?"
Yan Yuchen pointed ahead, saying, "Let's go home first. I have to catch up on my homework, and later, Xiaoxi can play with you."
Xiao Mei pouted, her face expressing disappointment.
Not long after they returned home, the phone in the living room rang.
Before Yan Yuchen and his sister could react, the little girl happily ran over and answered the phone loudly, "Hello, this is the psychiatric hospital. How may I assist you? Are you here for hospitalization or to inquire about your condition?"
There was a brief silence on the other end, and no one spoke.
Yan Xiaoxi quickly went over and grabbed the phone, asking, "Hello, who are you looking for?"
"Beep... Beep..."
The busy signal sounded from the phone, indicating that the caller had hung up.
Yan Xiaoxi glared at Xiao Mei accusingly. Ignoring her, Xiao Mei ran to bother her beloved Brother Yan, asking him to take her boating.
As Yan Xiaoxi was about to leave after hanging up the phone, it rang again.
"Hello, who are you looking for?"
Yan Xiaoxi answered the phone cautiously.
After a pause, a voice on the other end said carefully, "Hello, may I ask if you are Miss Yan Yuchen? I am Fan Lin from the Hong Kong Hua Ying Entertainment Company. I'm honored to inform you that your submitted song 'Iron-Blooded Heart' has passed the review. You will receive the prize money of one hundred thousand yuan as initially specified by our company. Additionally, after our company's decision, we would like to purchase your song outright. Would you..."
"Slap!"
Without letting him finish, Yan Xiaoxi hung up the phone, a cold smile on her face as she muttered, "Nowadays, scammers are so audacious. They dare to impersonate anyone. Do they think I'm a three-year-old child? Fan Lin from Hong Kong's Hua Ying Entertainment Company is a well-known figure in the film industry. Would he personally call me? Besides, they don't even know what name I go by. They just randomly attached my brother's name to me. I wonder where these scammers get their information."
Yan Yuchen, holding his textbook, used one hand to pull Xiao Mei out by the ear, his face full of impatience. "Little sister, quickly get this girl out of here. The high school entrance exam is just over a month away, and I need to review my lessons. What are you muttering about alone in the living room?"
Yan Xiaoxi snorted, saying irritably, "I don't know who leaked our phone number and your name. Just now, a scammer called and said I won a prize of a hundred thousand yuan. If I weren't a person of quality, I would have almost cursed them out."
Yan Yuchen responded with an "Oh," and said, "You don't need to show any manners to bad people. Just curse them out."
As he was about to turn back to his room, his body suddenly froze, and he widened his eyes, saying, "Little sister, did you say a prize of a hundred thousand yuan? You didn't hear it wrong? The person said you won a prize of a hundred thousand yuan?"
Yan Xiaoxi disdainfully glanced at him. "What's wrong, brother? Are you tempted by that one hundred thousand yuan too? Thinking about willingly being deceived?"
Hastily walking over, Yan Yuchen grabbed her shoulder and said, "Little sister, how exactly did that person phrase it? Quickly tell me."
Yan Xiaoxi wrinkled her brow unwillingly. "I forgot, but I remember he said he was Fan Lin, that director from Hong Kong. He talked about the song passing the review. It's ridiculous; I even saw that director Fan in the news yesterday. He's busy shooting a TV series now. How could he have the time to personally call us? Even if I did win a prize, it wouldn't be him personally notifying us. Isn't that right, brother?"
Yan Yuchen was silent for a moment, then nodded confidently. "Yeah, I think you're clever, little sister. That must be a scam."
Hearing his praise, Yan Xiaoxi suddenly looked pleased and went over to grab Xiao Mei, saying, "Let's go. I'll take you boating. Your big brother Yuchen needs to review his lessons. If you keep bothering him, he might not perform well in the exam. If he doesn't do well, his bottom will be smacked open."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Mei became indignant, proclaiming proudly, "Who dares to smack my husband's bottom open? Who has the audacity? Xiao Mei will definitely beat the crap out of him first!"
Yan Xiaoxi said calmly: "My dad, your brother Yan's dad, is the uncle lying in the hospital."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Mei immediately deflated, hanging her head dejectedly. "Well, fine. Xiao Mei will go boating with you. Xiao Mei doesn't want to see big brother Yuchen's bottom getting smacked open."
Yan Xiaoxi felt a bit puzzled and asked, "Aren't you the one who said you'd beat the crap out of anyone who dared to touch your big brother's bottom? Are you afraid of that uncle in the hospital?"
Xiao Mei shook her head and, with a shy glance at Yan Yuchen, said happily, "No, Xiao Mei isn't afraid of anyone. But I can't hit that uncle; he's Big Brother Yuchen's dad and will be Xiao Mei's dad too. Xiao Mei wants to be a filial child, and you shouldn't hit your dad."
Yan Xiaoxi was left speechless, turning her head to look at her brother. The siblings stared at each other, both wide-eyed and perplexed.
After Xiao Mei reluctantly left with Yan Xiaoxi, Yan Yuchen had just settled on the sofa when the phone rang again.
"Hello, may I help you?" Yan Yuchen answered the call, his voice trembling slightly.
On the other end, there was a brief pause, clearly not expecting the female voice to turn into a male voice. The caller asked, "Hello, I'm looking for Yan Yuchen. Is this Yan Yuchen?"
Yan Yuchen chuckled, "Yes, it's me. My younger sister answered the phone earlier. She's a bit naive; I apologize for that."
Fan Lin suddenly realized and quickly said with a smile, "Haha, no problem at all. I almost thought it was you. Mr. Yan, your song 'Iron-Blooded Heart' that you submitted to our drama has been accepted. If you have time now, I'd like to discuss the contract and subsequent copyright issues with you."
Excitement surged within Yan Yuchen as he thought about finally getting the hundred thousand yuan, which he could use to repay the money owed to Hu Guagua. He replied, "Certainly, I'd be glad to discuss it. I apologize for any inconvenience my sister may have caused. If we need to sign any documents, I'll need my guardian to handle it."
Fan Lin understood, and they quickly moved on to discuss the contract details. Yan Yuchen wasn't too concerned about the future aspects of the copyright; getting the money now was his primary focus.
In his mind, "Iron-Blooded Heart" was just one of countless classic songs. The excitement of receiving the payment overshadowed any contemplation of the song's future success.
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